


Playing With Fire

by xx0amanda0xx



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: All Fire Nation Kids Have A Rough Childhood I Don't Make The Rules, Angst, At Least Not For Some Time, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Friends, F/M, It Isn't Mutual, MC Is A Firebender, Pining, Slow Burn, Starts In Book 1 And Ends In Book 3, Unrequited Love, in the beginning anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24435802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xx0amanda0xx/pseuds/xx0amanda0xx
Summary: Masako has known Prince Zuko since they were just children. When Zuko is banished from the Fire Nation, Masako tags along to help him hunt for the Avatar. Will her loyalty to him be put to the test or will they find the Avatar together?
Relationships: Jin/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar)/Original Character(s), Zuko (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

Masako felt her long hair blow in the frigid wind, wincing at how it felt as though the air was cutting at her skin. She turned on her heel quickly, hoping to shield herself from the sharp winds, however short they may be. She let a sharp breath out towards her hands that she rubbed together, the small puff of fire that came from her mouth providing a bit of warmth. 

Hailing from the Fire Nation, Masako wasn’t used to freezing temperatures. The black and red outfit with gold accents she wore did little to provide warmth. The outfit looked like your average Fire Nation attire, something that used to make her heart swell with pride. But now? Now she just wished she had something other than firebending to keep her warm. 

She stood up straighter when Prince Zuko and General Iroh walked past her on the boat’s deck. She didn’t know why she did that, really, perhaps it was more of an instinct than anything else. 

“Just a little bit of a break, Zuko.”

“I can’t afford that, uncle! I need to find the Avatar.”

Iroh grunted as he tucked his hands into his sleeves,”Perhaps it’s time to give it up. It’s been two years.”

Just when Zuko was about to argue, a large beam of light shot through the air. Masako gasped and looked at it in almost awe, having to fight the urge to look away from the blinding light. 

“Did you see that?”, Zuko gestured exasperatedly at the beam of light,”Something like that must’ve come from a powerful force.”

“Men! Change course, we’re heading towards that light!”

Masako finally looked toward the prince and the popular general as they were walking by again,”That’s pretty intense, we might be onto something here.”

“See, uncle?”

Iroh chuckled,”Masako is just saying that because she has to. You’ve known each other a long time.”

“I mean it, I’ve got a feeling about this.”, she grinned as she brushed past them,”And I’m pretty sure it’s a good one.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Zuko and Masako circled each other in a fighting stance on the deck. Neither one of them had made the first blow yet, they were instead trying to drag it out of one another. 

“Are you going to wait like this when you fight the Avatar?”

“Are you going to hesitate if you have to fight someone you know?”, Zuko said with a furrowed eyebrow. 

Masako ground her teeth together, quickly pushing Zuko’s hand from in front of him as the fire flew from her fingertips. Zuko ducked and slid to the side, grabbing control of the fire and directing it back at her. 

She narrowly slid out of the way, hooking her foot behind his ankle and fire shot from her foot. Zuko tripped but quickly gained his footing, jumping out of the way and shooting fire out of his foot at her as he landed. Masako rolled out of the way before jumping to her feet and punching the air towards him, the fire flying from her fingertips. 

Zuko grabbed her wrist and pinned it behind her back, holding his other hand loosely on her throat,”Then you’d be dead.”

He let go of her and took a step back,”You’re getting better, but you leave vulnerable points open. You can’t afford to get sloppy in a fight.”

She turned to face him, swallowing thickly. She pressed her fist into her other hand that was straight as she bowed,”Of course. Thank you, Prince Zuko.”

  
  


It wasn’t as if she hated Zuko or that he hated her, it was quite the opposite actually. The two of them sparred together often, and on rare instances Masako would best him in a fight. Zuko had more formal training, and in all honesty, he was just better than her at firebending. They were the same age, sure, but Zuko’s skill easily exceeded hers.

They were soon at the Southern Water Tribe village, the ship docking and opening up the ramp at the front of the ship. Zuko, Masako, and a few other firebenders walked on the ramp. A Water Tribe teenager with a ponytail swung at Zuko, but he quickly countered and dealt with him. They made their way down to the ice where seemingly the entire village was,”Where is the airbender?”

“He’s not here.”

Zuko snarled and whipped fire towards the villagers,his voice louder now,”Where is the airbender?!”

Masako saw the children in the front cowering and frowned deeply, looking away. She wasn’t clueless as to the Fire Nation’s reputation, and displays like this one certainly didn’t help their case, but her loyalty lay with Zuko. She wouldn’t speak out unless she felt as though she had to step in. 

“Here I am!”, they heard from above.

A preteen boy slid down a snowy hill on a penguin before standing in between the firebenders and the Water Tribe villagers. He held his staff up defensively as the Fire Nation soldiers surrounded him,”Looking for me?”

“You’re the airbender? You’re the Avatar?”, Zuko asked before he and the airbender began circling one another. 

With each word Zuko spoke, he only grew more irritated,”I spent years preparing for this encounter. Training, meditating...You’re just a _child_!”

Masako glanced between them, her hands up and ready for a fight like the Fire Nation soldiers and Zuko. Her heart swelled with pride at the fact that Zuko had her tag along on such an important pursuit. It made her feel trusted, like going with Zuko a couple of years ago wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“Well you’re just a teenager.”, the airbender shrugged.

Zuko angrily shot fireballs from his palms towards the Avatar, the Avatar dodging the attacks by twirling his staff in front of him. The fire narrowly missed the villagers and the airbender spoke up,”If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?”

Zuko nodded firmly and two Fire Nation soldiers urged the airbender towards the ship by holding a hand on his shoulders. Masako let out a breath that she didn’t even know she was holding, thankful that nothing had to happen to the villagers. 

“No, Aang! You don’t have to do this!”, a girl from the Water Tribe exclaimed. 

The airbender, Aang, looked over his shoulder with a soft smile directed her way,”It’s alright, Katara. Take care of Appa for me until I get back!”

Zuko walked up the ramp and onto the ship with Masako and the Fire Nation soldiers with Aang right behind him,”Head a course to the Fire Nation! I’m going home.”

The ramp to the ship closed up and they were soon on their way again. The soldiers, Iroh, Masako, and Zuko stood with Aang on the deck. Zuko held up Aang’s stuff and talked as if he were thinking out loud,”This staff will make an excellent gift for my father...I suppose you wouldn’t know of a father, being raised by monks.”

Masako pressed a hand on Zuko’s back, giving him a look. She didn’t know if the statement was supposed to sound as condescending as it did on the outside or if he was just curious, but she didn’t like it nonetheless. After all, it wasn’t like she or Zuko really knew much about fathers if one was to think about it. She dropped her hand from his back after she felt that her point had been made, clasping her hands behind her back.

“Take the avatar to the prison hold.”

Two soldiers nodded and guided Aang towards where the prisoners were kept. Zuko held Aang’s staff towards his Uncle Iroh,”And take this to my quarters.”

Once Iroh had taken the staff from him, Zuko walked away. Maybe he needed to blow off some steam, or maybe he was relieved that he could finally go back to the Fire Nation.

Iroh handed the staff to a nearby soldier,”Hey, you mind taking this to his quarters for me?”

Masako laughed softly at the counter, shaking her head as Iroh was already walking after Zuko. It was amusing to her how easygoing General Iroh was in comparison to Zuko who always seemed to be wound up tight. Then again, she supposed that he had reason to be. 

While the others dispersed, Masako stood on the deck quietly. She rubbed her hands together for warmth, quickly becoming more grateful that they were leaving the freezing temperatures of the Southern Water Tribe and returning home to the Fire Nation. 

Home, it was a funny word. She didn’t know if she could really call the Fire Nation her home any more. She no longer had family there, at least not any that wanted her around. Zuko, Iroh, and sometimes even the soldiers on this ship seemed closer to a family to her than her actual family. 

She had been dishonored, like Zuko but in a much less severe way, at least in her mind. Zuko was the Prince of the Fire Nation, and she was just some girl who lived in the Fire Nation. Her parents weren’t benders like she was. The older and the stronger that she became, the more that they seemed to resent her. 

The resentment grew even worse when she burned her mother by accident when practicing her firebending once. Her mother couldn’t bear to look at Masako anymore, and her father made sure that she felt his hatred for her. It wasn’t a happy household, it didn’t have a chance to be anymore. But it wasn’t her fault; She was just a child, and she never asked to be a firebender. 

She met Zuko’s sister, Azula, when she was 10 or 11. Azula was a firebender that seemed willing enough to teach her. Azula was an excellent firebender, but Masako quickly realized how cruel and manipulative she could be, even as a child. It was then that Masako grew closer to Zuko. She didn’t spend as much time at the palace as Azula’s friends did, it was very apparent that her presence wasn’t necessarily wanted. She was grateful for Zuko’s friendship, she even recalls him being a cheerful child. 

Masako guessed that’s why she didn’t mind traveling with Zuko now, to help track down the Avatar and help restore his honor. Zuko had helped her when they were younger, and she has grown to be fiercely loyal to him. She owed Zuko a lot, and she didn’t think that he even knew it. 

She was pulled from her memories when she heard someone yelling above her. Aang and Zuko collapsed on the deck from above. Her eyes widened and she ran towards the Prince of the Fire Nation, her voice coming out strangled,”Zuko!”

He and the Avatar slowly got to their feet, readying themselves for a fight once more. They all looked up at a white creature in the sky as it groaned loudly. Zuko’s stance faltered slightly as he looked up at it in pure shock,”What _is_ that?”

“I don’t know.”, Masako murmured as she too held her hands up as though she was ready to fight.

“Appa!”, Aang exclaimed, turning towards the creature with a grin on his face.

Zuko and Masako seized the moment, shooting fireballs towards Aang. He twirled his staff and jumped back, his back up against the railing of the ship. Masako took a step forward and shot fire at his feet. Zuko rapidly shot fire at him, making him jump up on the railing of the ship to avoid it.

“Don’t.”, Masako whispered.

Zuko formed a wall of fire that approached Aang, ultimately knocking him off the ship and into the freezing waters. Masako ran over to the railing and looked into the water. Her eyes widened and she quickly backed up as Aang bursted through the surface of the water. He stood at the top of a tornado of water, Fire Nation soldiers starting to rush towards the deck of the ship. Zuko’s eyes widened as Aang landed on the ship, the water now circling him. They were all powerless against the water slamming them against the railing of the ship.

“Zuko!”

“Masako!”

The two yelled as they flipped overboard, reaching their hands out for each other. Zuko clasped his hand in Masasko’s as he desperately gripped onto the chain of the anchor with his other hand,”Hang on!”

Masako reached for the anchor with her other hand, latching onto it firmly before letting go of Zuko’s hand to hold onto it with both hands. He quickly looked down to look at her as she let go, but she gave him a reassuring smile and grunted,”Come on, I can’t hang on all day!”

The two climbed up the chain of the anchor, Iroh helping to pull them aboard once they were at the top. They sat on the deck of the ship, panting, but Zuko still managed to yell out an order,”Shoot them down!”

The three of them quickly got to their feet and shot fire towards the flying creature together, forming one giant flame that approached the Avatar and his friends. Aang blew a gust of air towards the flame, slamming it into the ice above them. The ice quickly fell onto the ship and into the ocean, blocking the way ahead.

Iroh hummed,”Great news for the Fire Lord: The Fire Nation’s biggest threat is just a little kid.”

Masako snorted, a small puff of fire coming from her nose. Normally she would find Iroh’s humor at least somewhat funny, but not now. 

Zuko turned to look at General Iroh,”That kid, uncle, just did all of this. I won’t underestimate him again.”

“Dig the ship out and follow them!”

Masako stared at the ice before them, approaching Zuko hesitantly,”We’ll find him again. Now we know where to look.”

Zuko turned and looked at her, his golden eyes staring into her amber ones,”I won’t lose him, not when I’m so close.”


	2. Chapter 2

Masako panted heavily, sitting on the floor and leaning back with her arms behind her to prop her up. Though she had lost to Zuko, she didn’t seem to care too deeply about it. He was stronger than her, and that helped her grow. She had to really fight back to even stand a chance against him it seemed. Sometimes she wondered if she was even a challenge to him, or if she was the only one that was being challenged when they sparred. 

Zuko sat down in front of her, crossing his legs and resting his hands on the inside of his knees. The sweat beads that formed on his forehead slowly dripped down as he took a deep breath,”Don’t question yourself.”

“I’m sorry?”, Masako looked over and raised an eyebrow at him.

“If you hesitate, you leave yourself open and you lose.”

She huffed and gathered her hair up, pulling it into a low ponytail to - at the very least - somewhat get the hair off of her neck. Training with Zuko always worked her hard, and she hated to have her hair sticking to the back of her neck,”If I hesitate, I lose...Do you think that’s why you always win, Zuko? Because I hesitate and you take advantage of that?”

Zuko hummed,”What do you think?”

“I think I’m ready to try again. If you’ll let me.”

Masako stood up and stretched her arms over her head, sighing as she heard a satisfying pop. She readied herself for a fight again, a grin spreading across her face as Zuko stood up as well. Her smile faded as he gently pulled her arms down from their defensive stance and put them at her sides,”Zuko?”

“You’re not ready.”

“What?”

She balled her hands into fists and glared up at him,”How could you say that?! I’m ready, I can do it!”

Zuko narrowed his eyes at her, letting go of her hands,”You’re not ready. And that doesn’t mean to push yourself to be ready just to prove me wrong.”

He turned and walked away from her, his footsteps slower than his usual pace. She swallowed thickly, knowing full well what he was doing. He was purposely taking more time to walk away from her than he usually did. He was giving her the opportunity to strike if she wanted to, to attack without hesitation. But she couldn’t do it, not yet at least.

Masako sighed deeply, looking away,”You’re right, Zuko. I’m not ready…”

“Don’t rush your training, Masako, it will burn you.”

She sighed softly, leaning against the railing of the boat as she let him walk away from her. He wasn’t speaking in riddles or philosophical words like his Uncle Iroh normally did. Zuko was being literal in his words. 

Firebending was different from the other elements. It required more discipline, more control than the others. It relied heavily on your emotions and your state of mind. And if it went unchecked, the bender could lose control. 

Masako stared at the water and whispered softly,”I don’t want to hurt anyone I care about again.”

“You won’t.”

“General Iroh!”, she gasped. 

Iroh smiled gently as he leaned against the railing beside her,”Firebending is difficult to master. Fire breathes as though it were alive.”

Masako looked over at Iroh, her voice shaking as she spoke,”Sometimes I feel like being a firebender is a burden, or like I’m not strong enough to control it.”

“You grow stronger everyday, Masako. You must not let the words from the past haunt you and keep you from what you’re meant to be in this world.”

“How do I know what I’m supposed to be? I’m just a peasant girl who was lucky enough to-“

“Is that what you are?”, Iroh chuckled,”I thought you were a warrior and one of Prince Zuko’s most trusted allies. You had me fooled!”

Masako smiled weakly and rested a hand on his arm,”Thank you, Iroh. You always seem to know what to say.”

“Of course. It is my pleasure to help a young woman in need.”

She rolled her eyes and began walking away,”Ah yes, I’m but a damsel in distress, helpless without the assistance of the mighty General Iroh of the Fire Nation.”

Iroh’s hearty laugh carried through the air as she giggled softly, making her way to her quarters. Despite all the wise cracks and laughter, she did appreciate Iroh’s advice. It meant a lot more to her than she imagined he knew. It had become so clear to her now that it wasn’t just Prince Zuko that Masako had grown fond of. 


	3. Chapter 3

Zuko, Iroh, and Masako walked down the ramp of the ship and onto the docks. Zuko kept his voice low,”We need to hurry and make repairs to the ship as quickly as possible. I don’t want to stay and lose his trail.”

“You mean the Avatar?”

Zuko stopped dead in his tracks then turned to look at Iroh,”Don’t mention his name on these docks. Once word gets out that he's alive, every firebender will be out looking for him, and I don’t want anyone getting in the way.”

“Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?”, they all heard from behind them. 

They all turned to see a Fire Nation man with sideburns, which could only be one person. Zuko exhaled deeply as he crossed his arms,”Captain Zhao.”

“It’s Commander now.”, he said as he walked towards them,”And General Iroh, great hero of our nation.”

“Retired General.”, Iroh corrected.

Commander Zhao hardly spared a glance at Masako as he clasped his hands behind his back,”The Fire Lord’s brother and son are welcome anytime. What brings you here?”

They all turned to look at the Fire Nation ship that they had been traveling in. The metal at the front of the ship was torn, bent, and even had holes in it. Iroh gestured to it with a grin on his face,”Our ship is being repaired.”

Masako couldn’t help but hide the snicker that escaped her lips,”Hopefully rather quickly at that.”

Zhao looked up at it and grunted, choosing to ignore Masako,”That’s quite a bit of damage.”

They all turned and looked back at Zhao, Zuko finally piping up once more,”Yes, you wouldn’t believe what happened.”

He looked around anxiously before his eyes landed on Iroh, gesturing to Zhao,”Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened.”

The encounter before them was growing more tense by the second. Zhao had a way of digging at people and finding out exactly what it was that he wanted to know. Not to mention the fact that Zhao had a temper, worse than anybody that she had ever seen before.

Iroh couldn’t help but let his jaw drop and widen his eyes when he heard Zuko’s words. After all, he had to keep his mouth shut about the Avatar and coming up with things on the spot wasn’t necessarily one of his strong suits,”Oh! Yes, I will do that.”

“It was incredible.”, he leaned towards Zuko and Masako, talking with a lowered voice,”What? Did we crash or something?”

Masako nodded,”Yes, a collision.”

“Right into an Earth Kingdom ship.”, Zuko tacked on.

Commander Zhao tilted his head with a smirk, no doubt revelling in the fact that he had the three of them on their toes,”Really? You must regale me with all the _thrilling_ details.”

He leaned forward to lower his eyes to stare into Zuko’s,”Join me for a drink?”

Zuko backed away before turning and beginning to walk past Zhao,”Sorry, but we have to go.”

Iroh caught his shoulder,”Prince Zuko, show Commander Zhao your respect.”

He let go of his nephew’s shoulder and looked back to Zhao,”We would be honored to join you. Do you have any ginseng tea? It’s my favorite.”

Zuko groaned, balling his hands into fists in front of them before slamming them down at his sides, fire shooting out from them. He turned and walked after Iroh and Zhao, Masako walking in step with him. She smiled gently, nudging him in the side with her elbow gently, careful to keep her voice low,”It won’t take long, Zuko, and there’s only so many places... _he_ can go.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Masako and Zuko sat at a small table that had a tea pot and tea cups on it. Iroh stood to the side, admiring some of the weapons that were near the wall. Meanwhile, Commander Zhao stood behind Zuko, facing a large map of the world that was on the wall,”By year’s end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule.”

Masako’s eyes widened and she leaned forward, suddenly very interested in what the Commander had to say. She took a deep breath to relax, just in case he suddenly turned around and saw her.

“The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war.”

Zuko stared at the tea cups on the table as he spoke out absentmindedly,”If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly then he is a fool.”

Zhao sat down next to Zuko, looking over at him with a confident grin on his face,”Two years at sea has done little to temper your tongue.”

Masako dug her fingernails into her thighs, feeling the anger inside her starting to boil over. There were few people in this world that she knew that were able to get under her skin so easily, and Commander Zhao was one of them.

She had an immense amount of trust in Zuko and Iroh, she had even come to care for them as if they were her own family. She would remain loyal to them until the day that she died, she was sure of it. Unless - of course - they did something so unspeakably horrible that she lost all hope in them.

Besides, it wasn’t Zuko’s fault that he had been at sea searching for the Avatar for two years, not entirely anyway. And Masako knew that Zhao only brought it up to get a jab in at Zuko when he was already down. It was cruel, simple as that.

“So, how’s your search for the Avatar?”

Iroh jumped out of surprise, bumping into the weapons and knocking them over. He stepped away from them and winced as the room fell quiet save for the weapons clattering to the floor,”My fault entirely.”

Zuko looked over at Zhao with a stern look on his face,”We haven’t found him yet.”

“Did you really expect to? The Avatar died a hundred years ago, along with the rest of the airbenders.”

Masako and Zuko couldn’t help but look away at the statement. Masako was never too great at lying, and Zuko was too desperate to keep this all a secret for someone like Zhao to find out the truth.

“Unless you know something.”, Zhao smirked.

“No, we don’t.”

Zhao stood up and turned towards Zuko, leaning down close to his face,”Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you’ll tell me what you’ve found.”

Zuko rolled his eyes before looking over at the man,”I haven’t _found_ anything. It’s like you said, the Avatar probably died a long time ago.”

Zuko stood up and began walking away,”Come on, uncle, Masako, we’re leaving.”

Masako and Iroh started towards Zuko who was about to walk out of Commander Zhao’s tent. Two of his soldiers held their spears out in front of them, making an X with them as another soldier approached Commander Zhao,”Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They confirmed that Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody, but let him escape.”

Zuko looked down slightly as Masako let out a sigh. This wasn’t good, not in the slightest bit. Commander Zhao wasn’t someone that they wanted to have as an enemy, at least that’s what Masako thought.

Zhao strolled over to them, leaning over Zuko’s shoulder, his voice having a hint of mockery in it as he spoke,”Now, remind me: how exactly was your ship damaged?”


	4. Chapter 4

They were all three seated with Commander Zhao’s men standing guard around the room. Commander Zhao snickered as he paced in front of them,”So a twelve year old boy bested you and your firebenders. You’re more pathetic than I thought.”

Masako exhaled deeply, doing her best to control the frustration and anger that built up inside of her. She was normally rather calm and collected and often acted as one of Zuko’s voices of reason from time to time. But to hear someone talk so lowly about Zuko - to Zuko - grated on her nerves. 

“I underestimated him once, but it will  _ not  _ happen again.”

Zhao stood with his hands behind his back,”No, it will not. Because you won’t have a second chance.”

Zuko sat up straighter and leaned forward in his seat,”Commander Zhao, I have been hunting the Avatar for two years and I-”

Commander Zhao quickly whipped around, shooting fire from his palms towards the three of them, but namely Zuko,”And you failed! Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager’s hands. He’s mine now.”

“Zuko didn’t fail!”, Masako snapped.

At the same time, Zuko leapt up from his chair with a snarl, two of Zhao’s men grabbing him and holding his arms behind his back. Zhao gestured towards them as he walked away,”Keep them here.”

Zuko groaned and kicked the table with the tea pot and tea cups on it, sending them to the floor and shattering. One of the table legs had fallen off and the floor was now a mess. Zhao may not be someone that you want to mess with, but neither was Zuko.

Iroh held his cup up with a grin,”More tea, please!”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Some time later, the three of them were sitting at a table again, one that wasn’t missing a leg and had shards of glass and tea around it. Iroh sat calmly with his hands in his lap. Masako was leaning forwards and had her arms rested on the table while Zuko leaned back, his arms crossed over his chest.

Commander Zhao came back into the tent, a smug grin on his face,”My search party is ready. Once I’m out to sea, my men will have you escorted back to your ship and you will be free to go.”

“Why?”, Zuko asked before looking over at him,”Are you worried I’m going to try and stop you?”

Zhao laughed and shook his head,”You? Stop me? Impossible.”

Zuko stood up with a start,”Don’t underestimate me, Zhao.”

A smirk spread across Masako’s face. She couldn’t help but admire the fact that even in a situation like this, Zuko still faced it head on with determination like no other. It was a quality that she lacked, one that she honestly wished that she had. Maybe if she faced problems head on like Zuko did then she would be a better firebender.

“I will capture the Avatar before you.”

Iroh stood up slowly,”Prince Zuko, that’s enough.”

“You can’t compete with me. I have hundreds of warships under my command.”, Zhao rolled his eyes and gestured at Zuko,”And you? You’re just a banished prince; No home, no allies. Your own father doesn’t even want you.”

Masako stood up quickly, so quickly that the chair she was in toppled to the ground when she stood,”Watch your tongue, Zhao. Don’t start this if you aren’t willing to end it.”

Zuko held his arm out in front of her, signalling to her that he had it handled,”You’re wrong. Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honor and restore my rightful place on the throne.”

“If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now. Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes, you are a failure, a disgrace to the Fire Nation.”

“That’s not true.”

Commander Zhao tilted his head, his words filled with venom,”You have the scar to prove it.”

Zuko stood before him, snarling up at him,”Maybe you’d like one to match!”

“Is that a challenge?”

“An Agni Kai, at sunset.”

Commander Zhao grunted and took a step back,”Very well. It’s a shame that your father won’t be here to watch me humiliate you. Oh well, I guess your uncle will do.”

He chuckled as he turned and walked out of the tent, confidence practically dripping off of him. Masako gingerly grabbed Zuko’s forearm when she noticed his hands were balled so tightly into fists that his fingernails were digging into his skin. He sighed softly and loosened his grip, but his anger remained.

“Prince Zuko, have you forgotten what happened last time you dueled a master…?”, Iroh asked softly.

“I will never forget.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Zuko and Zhao were facing away from each other, a good distance apart in the courtyard. They were kneeling lowly down on one knee, each with a respected few with them. They were barefooted, wearing a red and gold vest and red pants, attire that was worn by men for an Agni Kai.

“Remember the basics, Prince Zuko. They are your greatest weapons.”

“And don’t let your anger get the best of you, think your attacks through.”, Masako added.

Zuko closed his eyes tightly, his eyebrow furrowing,”I refuse to let him win.”

The two men stood up and turned, the vest falling to the ground. Zhao smirked,”This will be over quickly.”

The two of them readied for a fight as the gong above them was hit, a signal to all that the Agni Kai had begun. Zuko formed a wheel of fire with his fist, punching it at Zhao, all of which he dodged.

Zuko spun quickly, kicking his leg high and bringing it down, fire coming off of his leg and shooting at Zhao like a wave. Commander Zhao gained control of the fire, sweeping it to his sides to evade it. He then shot a wall of fire at Zuko who jumped over it just in time. 

“Basics, Zuko!”, both Iroh and Masako called out.

Iroh shouted above the noise of the fire still crackling,”Break his root!”

Zhao rapidly fired at Zuko with both of his hands, strengthening his attacks. Zuko swept the fire to his sides to evade the attacks like Zhao had before. Zhao snarled as he fired again, this time even stronger. Zuko tried to redirect the attacks like all of the others, but he was shot back onto the ground, lying on his back. Luckily, the fire didn’t burn him, which meant that he still had a fighting chance.

As Zuko was sitting up, Commander Zhao was jumping through the air towards him. Zuko’s eyes widened as he felt the heat of the fire coming towards him. He swiftly swirled on his back, kicking Zhao’s feet out from under him. It was now him that was standing tall and Zhao who was on the ground. Zhao quickly got to his feet, but Zuko was already kicking and punching fire blasts towards him. Zhao stumbled backwards, no longer balanced and no longer in control of what was happening on the battlefield.

Masako grinned and nudged Iroh, speaking lowly so she was careful not to distract Zuko,”He did it, he broke his root.”

Iroh smiled brightly and gave her a curt nod as Zuko kicked fire towards Zhao, sending him tumbling onto the ground again. Zuko stood over Zhao, his fists up as though he were ready to fire the finishing blow.

“Do it!”, Zhao snapped.

Zuko shot the fire with a grunt before relaxing and standing up straight. He hadn’t burned Zhao, but the ground next to his head was scorched black.

“That’s it? Your father raised a coward!”

Zuko narrowed his eyes at him as he turned to walk away,”Next time you get in my way, I promise I won’t hold back.”

As he walked away, Zhao rose to his feet, a grimace etched into his face. He raised his foot and kicked, fire shooting out from it towards Zuko’s back,”Agh!”

However, Iroh was quick and caught his foot and the fire. Masako ran towards Zuko who had just turned on his heel to face Zhao and his uncle. Masako smiled gently up at Zuko, she’d tell him how proud of him she was later. But for now, a smile would suffice.

Iroh gripped onto Zhao’s foot and pushed him back with ease, sending him sliding through the dirt with a yelp. Zuko started towards Zhao, but Iroh caught him, looking up at his nephew and shaking his head,”No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory.”

With those words, Zuko let out a sigh and relaxed, but his face still wore a scowl. The three of them were well aware of how bothersome Commander Zhao was, but to strike somebody when their back was turned and you had already lost was just sad.

Iroh turned to look at Zhao with a raised eyebrow,”So this is how the great Commander Zhao reacts to defeat. Disgraceful...Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you.”

He turned around and began walking away,”Thanks again for the tea. It was delicious.”

Zuko and Masako caught up with Iroh before they were able to walk in step with him. As they left entirely - making their way back towards the ship no doubt - Zuko spoke in a soft tone, something that was rare for him,”Did you really mean that, uncle…?”

“Of course.”, Iroh said with a grin,”I told you ginseng tea was my favorite.”


	5. Chapter 5

Zuko sat in his room on the floor with his legs crossed. The candles around him grew bigger as he inhaled and smaller and he exhaled. Taking time to meditate was important for everyone, but it was especially important for firebenders due to the fact that their bending required copious amounts of control. 

Iroh poked his head in,”Prince Zuko?”

“The only reason you should be interrupting me is if you have news on the Avatar.”, Zuko spoke slowly. 

Iroh frowned slightly and glanced back at Masako who was behind him before looking back to Zuko,”There is news, Prince Zuko, but you might not like it.”

He and Masako fully walked into the room and Iroh urged,”Don’t get too upset.”

“Uncle, you taught me that keeping a level head is a sign of a great leader. Now whatever you have to say, I’m sure I can take it.”

“Okay then.”, Masako said slowly, tilting her head.

Iroh shrugged and got straight to the point,”We have no idea where he is.”

The flames shot up, burning brightly as Zuko stood up and whipped around,”What?!”

“You really should open a window in here.”, Iroh chuckled as he fanned himself. 

Zuko took the scroll from Iroh’s hands and began looking it over,”Let me see the map.”

“There have been multiple sightings, though.”, Masako chimed in. 

“But he seems impossible to track down.”, Iroh grumbled. 

Zuko’s eyes scanned the map, studying the x’s and the lines all over the scroll,”How am I going to find him, uncle? He is clearly a master of evasive maneuver…”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Iroh, Zuko, and Masako sat at a table eating, the air tense. Masako glanced at Iroh who gave her a nod before she looked over at Zuko and suddenly spoke up,”The Avatar is on Kyoshi Island. We heard word a little earlier today.”

“What? The Avatar is on Kyoshi Island?”, Zuko stood up and immediately started towards the door,”Uncle, ready the Rhinos. He’s not getting away from me this time.”

The Rough Rhinos were an elite group of the Fire Nation. They were a special task force, but they acted as though they were mercenaries. Still, they had pledged their allegiance to the Fire Nation during the war. 

Iroh merely pointed at Zuko’s plate,”Are you going to finish that?”

“I was gonna save it for later!”, Zuko insisted as he took the plate. 

Iroh crossed his arms across his chest and formed his lips into a pout much like a child would. Masako couldn’t hold in the laugh that came from her lips. It was a soft, sincere laugh, a sound that sounded so foreign to her when it came from her own mouth. 

Not long later, Zuko, Masako, and the Rough Rhinos had arrived at Kyoshi island. They rode in on Komodo Rhinos and Zuko and Masako wore the traditional Fire Nation armor. 

“Come out, Avatar! You can’t hide from me forever!”, Zuko shouted. 

“Go find him.”, he instructed the others. 

As the rest of them ventured into the village, Masako stayed at his side and murmured,”This feels like a trap…”

Warriors leapt from the rooftops, attacking the Rhinos. A warrior charged at Zuko, leaping through the air towards him. He and Masako shot fire towards her, but she flipped in the air, avoiding it with ease. Zuko turned his rhino around and it whipped the warrior with its tail. 

Masako shot a fireball at the warrior that was now on the ground, but another warrior jumped in front of her and swatted the Fire away with their fan. Another warrior dropped from the rooftop and tackled Zuko to the ground. 

“Zuko!”, Masako yelled as she ran towards him. 

Fire flew from her fingertips and her palms as she ran towards him. The warrior that ambushed him flew into the building and into something fragile - or so she presumed by the sound of glass breaking. 

“I guess training is over!”, she heard one of the warriors say. 

The warrior that was whipped by the rhino’s tail and the warrior that saved her ran towards Zuko and Masako. Zuko swept his leg from under himself, fire shooting in a wheel-like fashion as he got to his feet. The fire slammed the first warrior into a post hard and her body collapsed with a thud. 

Masako jumped up just in time, and when she came back down, fire shot off of her foot and towards the remaining warrior. He fell to his feet and Masako held a hand over him, ready to strike again if he got up. 

Zuko stepped over him and walked into the street, calling out,”Nice try, Avatar. But these little girls can’t save you.”

Once Masako was sure the warrior wouldn’t get up again, she too stepped over him and into the street towards Zuko. They both whipped around when they heard a voice behind them,”Hey! Over here!”

“The Avatar!”

“Finally.”, Zuko grunted. 

Zuko shot large flames of fire at Aang quickly, but Aang was just a little bit quicker in dodging him. They went back and forth for a little while, Zuko shooting fire at him and Aang evading his attacks. 

Masako had stepped to the side, deeming this Zuko’s fight. If he needed her then she would step in, but until that time came, she wouldn’t interfere. 

Aang dropped his staff, picking up two fans that the warriors were using as weapons earlier. He wafted the fans in Zuko’s direction, the air so strong that it slammed Zuko through the wall and into one of the houses in the village. 

“Zuko!”, Masako cried out. 

She started towards him but gritted her teeth when she saw Aang grab his staff again, opening it up into a glider. She ran towards him, firing at him out of rage, but missing him by a hair every time. Aang threw his glider in the air, jumping up and gripping onto it. Masako shot a huge wave of fire at him, barely clipping his foot. He cried out in pain and he dipped a little through the air, but he got away nonetheless.

Masako felt the hot tears rolling down her face as she screamed out, throwing her hands to her sides in frustration. Fire flowed off of her arms like a wall, some of the fire reaching the houses and catching them on fire,”You’re a coward, Avatar!”

She wiped her tears and ran quickly towards the building that Zuko has been launched into. She slid inside and sat on her knees, gently helping Zuko sit up.

“Did...Did he get away?”

“I’m sorry, Zuko.”, she whispered softly,”I tried to catch him, I really did. He got on his glider, and I got-“

Zuko tilted his head from side to side, his neck popping before he stood up,”You’re not to blame. We can still catch him.”

The two of them hurried out of the building to see the Avatar and his friends flying away on that creature from before,”Back to the ship! Don’t lose sight of them!”

They started running back towards the ship, not daring to waste another second. They hopped on a couple of the rhinos, hoping that would make it quicker. 

Masako pointed over Zuko’s shoulder at a giant sea creature,”Look!”

It sprayed the entire village down with water, hosing Zuko, Masako, and the Rough Rhinos down with water. Masako let her arm drop to her side with a sigh. Somewhere between a scowl and a face twisted up with disgust was etched into Zuko’s face as he swiped the mix of water and spit off of his face. 

They quickly made their way back to the ship nonetheless, but they knew that it was a lost cause. The Avatar and his friends were already gone. He had slipped through their fingertips once again. It seemed like the closer they got to capturing him, the more he was able to wiggle out of their grasp. Masako was beginning to wonder if this was easier when they weren’t even sure the Avatar existed. 


	6. Chapter 6

_ Masako giggled as she ran around in the courtyard of the royal palace, Zuko hot on her heels. She tripped over a rock and landed in the grass face first, rolling over and laughing loudly. Zuko sat down next to her and let out a soft sigh, his eyes filled with worry when he noticed her scraped knees,”Are you okay…?” _

_ “I’m smiling aren’t I?”, she said as she knocked her shoulder against his. _

_ He smiled gently and nodded,”I guess so, yea. I just don’t want you getting hurt because of me.” _

_ Masako shrugged and wiped a bit of dirt from her face,”I’ll be fine, Zuko. Besides, if I were to get hurt in order to protect the Prince of the Fire Nation, then that would be just fine.” _

_ When Zuko opened his mouth to argue, Masako laughed and laid back in the grass,”And I’d be a hero!” _

_ “A hero, huh?”, Zuko murmured as he looked back at her. _

_ “Yea, a hero. I wanna be a hero one day, be able to save people from something.” _

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Masako awoke in the morning, tumbling out of bed and rubbing her eyes. She slipped into a pair of red trousers with golden accents around the ankles and a red shirt that was sleeveless with golden buttons and gold trimming around the collar. She stepped into a pair of red and golden shoes, sighing deeply as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, her bangs that were parted down the middle hanging loose and framing her face. 

She walked out of her quarters, making her way to the deck and leaning over the railing. She couldn’t help but to think back on the events at Kyoshi Island a week or so ago. 

“Something on your mind?”

Masako didn’t have to look to know that it was Zuko, she’d grown so used to his voice that she could probably pick it out in a crowded room,”I was thinking about Kyoshi Island.”

“Again?”, he asked as he crossed his arms and let his back rest against the railing next to her. 

She nodded and looked up at him,”I let him get away, and I set those houses on fire out of anger...I burned those people’s houses, Zuko.”

Zuko frowned slightly, trying to pick his words carefully as he wasn’t sure what to say,”We can find the Avatar; We  _ will _ find him.”

“That village…”

“They attacked us first, Masako. Fire breathes, it consumes. It wasn’t your fault.”

She turned and rested a hand on his arm,”I don’t want to hurt people, and I don’t like seeing you get hurt.”

Zuko nodded and swallowed thickly,”I know. Luckily, you’re getting stronger everyday.”

“So are you!”, she grinned and shoved his shoulder playfully, much like she did when they were children. 

“Maybe, it’s hard to tell.”, was all Zuko said as he walked away.

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Masako and Zuko walked along the docks, trying to get a little bit more of the scenery - what there was of it - before they were trapped on that boat again and all they would see is water. She walked slowly, watching her feet as she walked. Zuko slowed his pace to walk with her, something that he didn’t do often; And maybe that was because he was always too busy thinking or strategizing first to slow down and just breathe. 

“Do you ever think about what it’ll be like when you go home?”

She looked over at him, a little surprised at his question,”Not really, no.”

“I find that hard to wrap my head around. I always think about regaining my honor and my father welcoming me home again.”

Masako shrugged and stopped, looking out at the ocean,”It’s different for me, I don't have anything in the Fire Nation waiting for me.”

Zuko stopped and looked at her with a frown,”I shouldn’t have-“

“It’s fine.”, she whispered before looking at him,”But it’s hard. It’s hard to know that when we go home, you’ll be welcomed back home and you’ll regain your place on the throne and I won’t even have a place to go.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true.”

“No it’s not!”, he snapped before relaxing and murmuring an apology,”What I...What I mean is, I wouldn’t allow you to have to live on the streets.”

She smiled gently, her voice softening,”Thank you, I mean that.”

Once they started walking again, she crossed her arms and just began talking, letting the words tumble out,”We’ve both had hard lives and had to experience things that aren’t fair to happen to people at our age, but if anything it’s made us better people than we were before it all happened.”

Zuko merely grunted in response, deciding it was best not to push the subject further. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw something shimmering on the docks in the sunset. Picking it up and inspecting it, he narrowed his eyes,”It’s a Water Tribe necklace.”

Masako looked at it and ran her fingers over it, wiping the debris off so that she could see the design of it,”You don’t think it’s that girl’s - the one with the Avatar, Katara was her name, I think - do you, Zuko?”

“Who else from a Water Tribe would be here?”

Masako nodded and crossed her arms,”Good, then we’re on the right track. We should head back to the ship.”


	7. Chapter 7

Masako and Zuko looked frantically in the forest for Iroh, deciding to split up but not venturing too far from one another. Masako could still hear Zuko’s shouts,”Uncle, where are you? It’s time to leave! Uncle Iroh?!”

Masako thought she heard Iroh answer him as he pushed past bamboo and into a clearing. 

“You’re tired, Prince Zuko. Why don’t you join me in these hot springs and soak away your troubles?”

She stopped dead in her tracks and shivered, deciding to wait until Zuko came back. Seeing Iroh in hot springs wasn’t on her list of things to do for the day. That was something that she would leave for Zuko. 

“My troubles cannot be soaked away. It’s time to _go_!”

“You should take your teacher’s advice and relax a little. The temperature is just right, I heated it myself.”

Masako snickered and kicked at the dirt. It was amusing to her how so many people found Iroh to be lazy, but oftentimes he was just trying to give genuine advice. 

“Enough, we need to leave now.”, Zuko sighed,”Get out of the water.”

“Very well.”

“On second thought, why don’t you stay a few more minutes? But be back at the ship in half an hour or I’m leaving you.”

Zuko walked back through the bamboo and glanced at Masako who grinned at him,”I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just get back to the ship, alright?”

“I can do that.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


“Uncle! Uncle, where are you?!”, Zuko shouted as they ventured back to where Iroh was before. 

Masako looked around, frowning deeply,”I don’t like this, Zuko…”

“Maybe he thought we left without him?”, one of the Fire Nation soldiers suggested. 

Zuko shook his head,”Something’s not right here, look at those rocks!”

He gestured to the rocks in the hot springs that Iroh was in before. He walked around, taking in everything before him. 

“Perhaps it was a landslide, sir.”

Masako pinched the bridge of her nose and looked at the soldier,”Land doesn’t slide _uphill_.” 

“Those rocks didn’t move naturally.”, Zuko murmured. 

“My uncle’s been captured by earthbenders!”

Masako pointed in a direction where a path was,”This way! Let’s go, Zuko.”

They followed along the path into the morning. Zuko had dismissed the Fire Nation soldiers back to the ship not long after they started down the pathway. He and Masako now rode on Komodo Rhinos, hoping they would be able to close the distance between them and the earthbenders that way. 

Zuko signaled for them to stop, jumping off of his rhino and picking up a sandal. He held it up and sniffed, grimacing and looking away,”Yup, that’s Uncle Iroh.”

They pressed on, eventually finding tracks of Ostrich Horses. Zuko narrowed his eyes,”Now I know we’re on the right path.”

They heard noise above them and Masako pointed to the giant white creature,”Zuko, look!”

He looked up in the sky,”The Avatar…”

Zuko began to turn his Komodo Rhino in the direction to pursue the Avatar, but then he looked in the direction of the Ostrich Horse tracks. He looked back at the sky and furrowed his eyebrow, as if he was trying to decide which way to go. 

He smirked and headed after the tracks,”Finding my Uncle Iroh is more important, let’s go.”

They hurried along the path, not wanting to waste another second and risk something horrible happening to Iroh. They eventually found the earthbenders in a crater that was in a clearing. Iroh’s hands were chained together and they were about to crush his hands with a rock. 

Zuko jumped off of his rhino and ran towards the crater, sliding inside then jumping and kicking the rock out of the way. Masako quickly joined him, holding her hands up defensively as Zuko hit the chain with his heel, breaking it. 

“Excellent form, Prince Zuko.”

“You taught me well.”, he said with a hint of a smile on his face. 

Zuko and Iroh had now too readied their hands for a fight. The three of them stood in a way that their backs were facing each other so that none of them could be attacked from behind. 

“Surrender yourselves! It’s five to three, you’re outnumbered!”

Iroh laughed and shrugged,”That’s true, but you’re clearly outmatched.”

The Earthbenders lifted rocks above their heads, readying to throw the rocks at them. The three of them shot fire at one person each, knocking them down and making the rocks fall on them. 

Masako hurried to sweep one man’s feet out from under him as Zuko shot fire at him. The last earthbender had lifted a boulder above his head, stomping his foot and shooting to the earth towards Masako. 

Zuko ran and tackled her out of the way of the attack as Iroh snaked the chains around the feet of the man. His feet were pulled out from under him and the rock came crashing down on him. 

Masako felt her cheeks grow hot and swallowed thickly as Zuko got off of her, holding his hand out and pulling her to her feet. She looked away and rubbed the back of her neck,”Thanks for that.”

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

When she shook her head in response, he looked at Iroh who was grinning. Zuko groaned upon seeing that he was merely dressed in a loincloth,”Would you _please_ put some clothes on now?”


	8. Chapter 8

Masako ventured away from the deck of the ship where Zuko and Lieutenant Jee were sparring. She wandered down the hall and up the tower. She walked inside and sat down where Iroh and a few other crew members were playing Pai Sho. She found games like Pai Sho to be peaceful, once she got the hang of them that is. 

“Coming to join us, Masako?”

She shrugged and examined the Pai Sho board, grinning once she saw that Iroh was winning for the time being,”Not now, but thank you. I think I’ll just sit and watch for awhile.”

She gasped and put her hands down on either side of her to steady herself as the boat turned. Where could they possibly be going now?

Zuko and Lieutenant Jee were thrown to the left side of the ship, landing on their backs. Zuko stood up and looked over at the crew member who was steering the ship at the top of the boat,”Someone’s changing our course.”

Zuko stormed into the room, snapping at the crew member in charge of steering the ship,”What is the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!”

“Actually, someone did.”, Iroh chimed in from behind them as he set a Pai Sho tile down on the board,”I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko.”

Zuko looked at his uncle and seemed to perk up at his words,”Is it something to do with the Avatar?”

“Even more urgent. It seems that I…”, he rubbed his forehead and had a look of distress on his face,”I have lost my lotus tile.”

Zuko raised his eyebrow, his voice a little hesitant,”Your...lotus tile?”

Masako snickered as Iroh gestured to the Pai Sho board,”For my Pai Sho game. Most people think the lotus tile is insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ.”

Zuko looked at his uncle in disbelief,”You’ve changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?”

“See, you, like most people, underestimate its value. Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call.”

Iroh looked at Zuko with a grin on his face, his voice growing more excited,”Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock and I can get on with my life.”

Masako took her bottom lip between her teeth to keep from laughing at the situation. It wasn’t too terribly often that things like this happened, but when they did it was always for something seemingly silly like this. Zuko would get angry, and he’d probably be annoyed for a couple of days afterwards as they had fallen behind, but it would certainly pass. 

Zuko balled his hands into fists and looked up at the ceiling, screaming out in frustration. Fire came out from his mouth and shot towards the ceiling, clouding the room with smoke. 

“I’m lucky to have such an understanding nephew.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Iroh, Masako, and Zuko stood in the marketplace. Zuko had somehow grown even more irritated while Iroh and Masako were trying to make the best of things. 

“I’ve checked all the shops on this pier, not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace.”

Zuko was scowling now as he crossed his arms,”It’s good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!”

Masako and Zuko watched as crew members carried away things that had been purchased by Iroh, walking towards the ship,”Quite the contrary. I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren’t looking for at a great bargain!”

Masako pointed after a crew member who was happily marching back to the ship while playing the tsungi horn,”Is that...a tsungi horn?”

“You bought a tsungi horn?”, Zuko questioned. 

Iroh smiled brightly,”For music night on the ship. Now, if we only had some woodwinds.”

They walked through the marketplace, Iroh leading them towards a pirate ship-like shop. Masako looked up at Zuko, nudging him with her elbow,”I hear you play a mean tsungi horn, Zuko.”

“Don’t patronize me.”, he grunted as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

Iroh pointed towards a small monkey statue,”Oh, that is  _ handsome _ ! Wouldn’t it look magnificent in the galley?”

As they looked around, they overheard one of the pirates talking to who they can only assume to be the captain,”We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with.”

Zuko whipped his head around and directed his attention fully to them now,”This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Zuko had launched one of the smaller boats from his ship. He stood at the front with Iroh and Masako, a few Fire Nation soldiers with him as well. They were sailing beside the pirate’s ship. 

“Shouldn’t we stop to search the woods?”, the pirate captain finally broke the silence. 

Masako shrugged,”There's no need to.”

“Huh?”

Zuko spared a glance at him,”They stole a waterbending scroll, right?”

The pirate hummed and nodded in response. Zuko looked ahead of him once more,”Then they’ll be on the water.”

Masako gripped Zuko’s shoulder as she pointed in the distance,”There! The girl from the Water Tribe!”

They docked the ships and walked towards Katara, knowing that she would stay where she is to practice the waterbending. Besides, if she heard them running towards her then she’d run off and then there they were trying to track her down again. 

One of the pirates manages to grab her. She struggles in his grip, finally using waterbending to soak his face before running in the other direction. Zuko caught her by her wrists as she ran towards them. He gave her a glare as she stared up at him, fear in her eyes,”I’ll save you from the pirates.”

Moments later, Katara is tied to a tree, no sign of escape in her near future. Zuko looked down at her,”Tell me where he is and I won’t hurt you or your brother.”

“Go jump in a river!”, Katara snarled. 

Masako elbowed Zuko in the side, giving him a look. Threats wouldn’t work on her, that much was apparent. If he wanted answers, he’d have to take another route. 

Katara looked at Masako with pleading eyes. Maybe she was hoping that she’d have pity on her and let her go, but that wouldn’t be the case. Masako looked the younger girl over, murmuring softly,”I’m sure you can retrace your steps and tell us where he is, can’t you?”

Katara looked away from her, trying desperately to pull loose from her restraints. Masako looked at Zuko with a raised eyebrow, taking a few steps back from Katara. She didn’t want to do things this way, but she didn’t really see another way out of this. 

“Try to understand. I need to capture him to restore something I’ve lost, my honor.”

Katara jerked her head away from Zuko, keeping her mouth shut. So she didn’t want to talk to Zuko either, good to know. 

Zuko gingerly held Katara’s necklace towards her neck, careful not to do anything to damage it,”Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you’ve lost.”

“My mother’s necklace! How did you get that?”

Zuko pulled his hands away from her, holding her necklace loosely in his hand now,”I didn’t steal it if that’s what you’re wondering. Tell me where he is.”

“Enough of this necklace garbage!”, the pirate captain snapped,”You promised a scroll!”

Zuko glanced at Masako then at the pirate,”I wonder how much this is worth…”

Masako held a flame in her hand, holding the waterbending scroll above the fire ever so slightly. She tilted her head as the pirates gasped and their eyes widened,”A lot, apparently.”

“Now, you help me find what I want, you’ll get this back, and everyone goes home happy.”, Zuko said with a scowl,”Search the woods for the boy and meet back here!”

Masako let the flame die out as the pirate captain grumbled,”Fine.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


The pirates soon returned with Aang and Katara’s brother, the two of them tied up. The teenaged boy from the water tribe struggled in the ropes, gritting his teeth. It must run in the family Masako notes. 

“Nice work.”, Zuko spared a glance at the pirates. 

Katara looked at the Avatar with a look of guilt on her face,”Aang, this is all my fault.”

“No Katara, it isn’t.”

Iroh shrugged,”Yea, it kind of is.”

Katara glared at Iroh who merely smiled gently. Zuko looked at the pirate captain,”Give me the boy.”

“You give us the scroll.”

Katara’s brother piped up,”You’re really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?”

“Don’t listen to him, he’s trying to turn us against each other!”

The pirate captain raised his eyebrows and looked over at Aang,”Your friend is the Avatar?”

“Sure is, and I bet he’ll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll.”

Zuko whirled around and snapped at him,”Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!”

Aang looked around anxiously, grumbling softly but loud enough for the others to hear,”Yea, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth…”

“I’m just sayin’ it’s bad business sense.”, Sokka shrugged,”Think how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life.”

The pirate captain looked at Zuko with a smirk,”Keep the scroll; We could buy a hundred with the reward we’ll get for the kid.”

“You’ll regret breaking a deal with me.”

He and a couple of his men shot fire at the pirates as they walked away. One of the pirates threw a couple of smoke bombs, blurring everyone’s vision. 

Masako wandered aimlessly through the smoke, trying her best not to breath it in. She finally escapes and takes a deep breath, coughing slightly. She calls out over the commotion of people fighting within the smoke,”Iroh! Zuko! Where are you?!”

Zuko snuck out of the smoke, attempting to hide the scroll behind his back. The pirate captain sees him and the two begin fighting. Masako can hear them, but she’s having to strain to hear the direction that it’s coming from. 

She walked slowly just outside of the smoke, her hands up for a fight just in case. She gasps sharply as someone bumps into her. She jumps back and shoots fire at their feet.

“Masako!”

“Iroh!”, she relaxed and rubbed the back of her neck anxiously,”I’m sorry, I thought-“

“Don’t worry about that. We must find Prince Zuko.”

They soon find him and Iroh stepped between Zuko and the pirate captain,”Are you so busy fighting that you cannot see that your own ship has set sail?”

“We have no time for your proverbs, uncle!”

Iroh points at the pirate ship that Aang, Sokka, and Katara have hijacked,”It’s no proverb!”

“Bleeding hog monkeys!”, the pirate captain groaned. 

Zuko laughs loudly, something that Masako herself hasn’t seen from him in a long time. It was nice to see the way that his face lit up as he let out a genuine laugh. 

His laughter dissipated as the pirates hijacked his boat. He groaned and balled his hands up into fists,”Hey! That’s my boat!”

Zuko began running after his boat. Masako sighed softly but went after him despite knowing that this probably wouldn’t work out in their favor. After all, things these days hardly did. 

“Maybe it should be a proverb…”, Iroh pondered. 

“C’mon, uncle!”

The three chase after the boat, approaching a cliff. Zuko stops dead in his tracks and holds his arm out to stop Iroh and Masako from going further. 

He stared at the boat going off the cliff and down a waterfall with horror in his eyes,”My boat!”

Masako frowned and crossed her arms,”I knew something like this would happen.”

Iroh grinned before he began to chuckle,”Prince Zuko, you’re really going to get a kick out of this. The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!”

Iroh smiled brightly as he pulled the lotus tile out of his sleeve and held it up for them to see. Zuko gritted his teeth, snatching the lotus tile from Iroh and throwing it down the waterfall. 


	9. Chapter 9

Masako sat on the deck of the ship rubbing her hands on her upper arms. Most firebenders are able to heat themselves up with ease, like a human fireplace of sorts, but that’s a skill that she has never possessed. 

Firebending relies on the bender to control the flow of their chakra, even more so than other elements. Those who are especially good at controlling the flow of their chakra are able to keep themselves warm. 

“You’re cold.”, she heard from above her. 

She looked up at Iroh and smiled gently as she stood up,”A little bit. I’m still trying to learn to control my chakra better.”

Iroh gently wrapped his hands around hers and she could feel the heat exuding off of him. He smiled slightly and let his hands fall to his sides,”You will get it with time. Don’t be so hard on yourself, Masako. You’re a better firebender than you think you are.”

The two approached Zuko who was looking through a spyglass to see what was on the horizon. A flock of birds flew over their heads and Iroh looked up, sniffing the air. Zuko let out a sigh and lowered the spyglass, turning to give his uncle a quizzical look. 

“There is a storm coming. A big one.”, Iroh announced. 

“You’re out of your mind, uncle.”, he walked towards Iroh and Masako, sparing a glance at the sky,”The weather’s perfect. There’s not a cloud in sight.”

They all faced the bow of the ship, taking in the view around them. The skies were clear, as Zuko said, and the waters weren’t the slightest bit choppy. 

Iroh gave his nephew a look,”A storm is approaching from the north. I suggest we alter our course and head southwest.”

“We know the Avatar is traveling northward, so we will do the same.”

Iroh’s face was stern as he spoke lowly,”Prince Zuko, consider the safety of the crew.”

“The safety of the crew doesn’t matter!”, Zuko snapped. 

“You don’t mean that…”, Masako murmured quietly. 

He glared at her, a scowl etched into his face. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to. Masako knew just exactly what he was trying to tell her, not to question him in this matter. 

Zuko turns around to see Lieutenant Jee behind him looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Zuko walked towards him, staring him dead in the eyes as he spoke,”Finding the Avatar is far more important than any individual’s safety.”

The rage became apparent on Lieutenant Jee’s face as Zuko walked away. Masako and Iroh approached the lieutenant. Iroh looked at it with a reassuring smile though his voice sounded uncertain,”He doesn’t mean that.”

Masako nodded, knowing that if she and Iroh didn’t help clean this mess up then the crew could turn on Zuko,”He's just all worked up.”

Lieutenant Jee wore a grimace on his face as he turned and walked away. Masako sighed and looked at Iroh,”We weren’t very convincing, were we?”

“We are terrible liars.”, Iroh grumbled. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


The dark clouds rolled in towards the ship as the waves grew a little rougher. Zuko walked towards Masako, Iroh, and Lieutenant Jee. Jee looked over at Zuko and spoke in a mocking tone,”Looks like your uncle was right about the storm after all.”

“Lucky guess.”, Iroh shrugged as he smiled brightly. 

Zuko whirled around and stormed towards the man, fury in his eyes,”Lieutenant! You’d better learn some respect.“

He jabbed a finger into his chest,”Or I will teach it to you.”

Zuko began to walk away but Lieutenant Jee called after him, taunting him,”What do you know about respect?”

Masako’s eyes went wide and she shook her head. Iroh made a cutting motion at his neck, tilting his head and string at Jee. Either Lieutenant Jee didn’t notice or, more likely, he didn’t care. 

“The way you talk to everyone around here, from your hard-working crew to your esteemed uncle to your childhood friend, shows you know  _ nothing  _ about respect!”

Masako chewed on the inside of her cheek, mumbling to Iroh,”He's going too far, Zuko’s gonna snap…”

Lieutenant Jee continued yelling at Zuko whose face was now contorted with rage,”You don’t care about anyone but yourself! Then again, what should I expect from a spoiled prince?”

The two men prepared to fight each other, but Iroh stepped between them, gently pulling their arms down,”Enough! We’re all a bit tired from being at sea for so long. I’m sure after a bowl of noodles everyone will feel much better.”

Lieutenant Jee stormed off and Zuko grumbled,”I don’t need your help keeping order on my ship.”

Though she wanted to tell him that he was letting his temper and his overall anger cloud his decisions lately, Masako knew it was best to keep her mouth shut. Trying to lecture Zuko while he was angry was like messing with a mama Moose Lion’s cubs, it never ended pretty. 

Iroh reached out and rested his hand on Zuko’s right shoulder, attempting to comfort him in some way. However, Zuko just shrugged his hand off of his shoulder and walked away. 

Later on, Masako and Iroh walked around the ship in silence. It was a comfortable silence, something that she had grown to appreciate with the older man’s presence. 

“I’m sick of taking his orders! I’m tired of chasing his Avatar! I mean, who does Zuko think he is?!”, Lieutenant Jee complained to a couple of other crew members. 

“Do you really want to know?”

“General Iroh!”, Jee exclaimed as he got to his feet,”We were just-“

“It’s okay. May we join you?”

“Of course, sir.”

Masako and Iroh sat down with Jee and the other men. Masako sighed softly, knowing where things were about to go. The story was tough to hear, tough to relive. 

Iroh massaged his beard thoughtfully,”Try to understand. My nephew is a complicated young man. He has been through much…”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


_ Zuko walked up to the curtains of the war room, but the guard to the left stopped him in his tracks by stepping in front of him,”Let me in!” _

_ Iroh placed his hands on Zuko’s shoulders,”What's wrong, Prince Zuko?” _

_ Zuko pointed at the guard, frowning,”I want to go into the war chamber, but the guard won’t let me pass!” _

_ Iroh led him away, his left hand still on Zuko’s shoulder,”You’re not missing anything, trust me. These meetings are dreadfully boring.” _

_ “If I’m going to rule this nation one day, don’t you think I should start learning as much as I can?” _

_ “Very well. But you must promise not to speak. The old folks are a bit sensitive, you know?” _

_ Zuko bowed to Iroh,”Thank you, uncle.” _

_ The two of them entered the war room just as the meeting had begun. One of the men pointed to a place on the map,”The Earth Kingdom defenses are concentrated here. A dangerous battalion of their strongest earthbenders and fiercest warriors. So I am recommending the forty-first division.” _

_ “But the forty-first division is entirely new recruits. How do you expect them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?”, one of the older soldiers questioned.  _

_ “I don’t. They’ll be used as a distraction while we mount an attack from the rear. What better to use as bait than fresh meat?” _

_ Zuko quickly stood up, his eyebrows knitted together,”You can’t sacrifice an entire division like that! Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How could you betray them?” _

_ Everyone in the war room turned to look at Zuko, save for Iroh, who was kneeling behind him.  _

  
  


{ * }

  
  


The men looked at Iroh intensely, hanging on his every word. Iroh massaged his beard again, slightly bowing his head,”Zuko was right, you see, but it was not his place to speak out. And there were dire consequences.”

“After Zuko’s outburst in the war meeting, the Fire Lord became very angry with him. He said the challenge against the general was an act of complete disrespect! And there was only one way to resolve this.”

Lieutenant Jee spoke softly now,”An Agni Kai, a firebender duel.”

Masako swallowed thickly and looked down at her hands in her lap. Even after years since this event, it was still so hard to hear it. It was raw still, despite the fact that it shouldn’t be. 

“That’s right. Zuko looked upon the old general he had insulted and declared that he was not afraid. But Zuko misunderstood.”, Iroh took a shaky breath before he continued on,”When he turned to face his opponent, he was surprised to see it was not the general. Zuko had spoken out against the general’s plan, but by doing so in the Fire Lord’s war room, it was the Fire Lord that he had disrespected. Zuko would have to duel his own father…”

“When Prince Zuko saw that it was his father who had come to duel him…”

Masako whispered shakily, the tears threatening to spill from her eyes,”He begged for mercy.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


_ Zuko was on his knees before his father,”Please, father. I only had the Fire Nation’s best interest at heart. I’m sorry I spoke out of turn!”  _

_ Ozai stalked towards his son,”You will fight for your honor.” _

_ Zuko had his forearms on the floor, fully bowing before his father as he looked at the floor,”I meant you no disrespect.” _

_ He looked up at his father, the tears shimmering in his eyes as his voice wavered,”I am your loyal son.” _

_ “Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!” _

_ “I won’t fight you.” _

_ “You will learn respect!”, Zuko now looked up at his father with tears streaming down his face,”And suffering will be your teacher!” _

_ Zhao, Azula, Iroh, and Masako sat in the crowd watching. Iroh clenched his teeth, fearful and worried on Zuko's behalf. Masako gripped onto Iroh’s sleeve with tears welling up in her troubled eyes. Zhao looked on with a smirk plastered on his face while Azula smiled and raised a fist in front of her chest in anticipation.  _

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Iroh swallowed thickly and murmured,”I looked away.”

Masako quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks. She could still hear Zuko screaming out in her head as if she was there still. She sniffled but relaxed when she felt Iroh gently squeeze her hand. 

“I always thought Prince Zuko was in a training accident.”, Jee said quietly. 

“It was no accident.”, Iroh corrected,”After the duel, the Fire Lord said that by refusing to fight, Zuko had shown shameful weakness. As punishment, he was banished and sent to capture the Avatar. Only then could he return with his honor.”

Lieutenant Jee nodded in understanding,”So that’s why he’s so obsessed. Capturing the Avatar is the only chance he has of things returning to normal.”

Masako shook her head, finally chiming in after quite some time,”Things will never return to normal. But the important thing is that capturing the Avatar gives Zuko hope…”


	10. Chapter 10

Zuko looked around anxiously on the deck, the storm raging on, lightning striking the ship,”Where were we hit?!”

“I don’t know!”, Jee called. 

“Look!”

“The helmsman!”, Zuko yelled. 

Zuko and Lieutenant Jee began climbing up the ladder to help a man that looks as though he’s about to fall. When the man lost grip of the ladder rungs, Zuko gripped onto his arm. The man grabbed a hold of the ladder rungs again, muttering a thank you to Zuko. 

Lightning was about to strike the middle of the ship where Iroh and Masako stood. Iroh pointed two fingers at the lightning, almost grasping it in his hand before redirecting it back into the sky. 

Zuko, Lieutenant Jee, and the helmsman we’re now back on the deck, still reeling from the events from earlier. 

Zuko looked up into the sky, spotting Aang and his friends,”The Avatar!”

“What do you want to do, sir?”

Zuko grunted,”Let him go. We need to get the ship to safety.”

Iroh looked out at the waters,”Then we must head directly into the eye of the storm.”

Following Iroh’s advice, the ship sailed directly into the eye of the storm and into calmer seas. Zuko bowed his head,”Uncle, I’m sorry…”

“Your apology is accepted.”, Iroh grinned before turning and walking away. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Days later, the captain of the ship approached Zuko, a solemn look on his face,” We haven’t been able to pick up the Avatar’s trail since the storm, but if we continue heading northeast-“

A larger Fire Nation ship pulled up next to Zuko’s ship. Zuko locked his jaw, grumbling,”What do they want?”

“Perhaps a sporting game of Pai Sho!”, Iroh enthused as he made another move in his game. 

A soldier from the other ship boarded Zuko’s ship,”The hunt for the Avatar has been given prime importance. All information regarding the Avatar must be reported to Admiral Zhao.”

Iroh glanced up from his game,”Zhao has been promoted? Well, good for him!”

Zuko looked down,”I’ve got nothing to report to Admiral Zhao. Now get off my ship and let us pass.”

“Admiral Zhao is not allowing ships in or out of this area.”

Masako crossed her arms and stared defiantly up at the soldier,”I’m sorry, but did your prince stutter?”

The soldier looked at Masako almost appalled but jumped slightly when Zuko yelled,”Off my ship!”

Iroh begins to scoop the pot of his game towards his side of the table,”Excellent, I take the pot! But you’re all improving! I’m certain you will win if we play again.”

Masako grinned, partially due to Iroh’s antics and partially due to the soldier retreating back to his own ship. Zuko glanced at her, nudging her in the side,”You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know I didn’t.”, she shrugged. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Masako and Iroh watched as Zuko continued practicing his firebending on the foredeck. The ship was by the shore now, the sunset well into its final stages. Masako crossed her arms,”He must be having a hard time.”

Iroh nodded and approached Zuko,”Is everything okay? It’s been almost an hour and you haven’t given the men an order.”

“I don’t care what they do.”

“Don’t give up hope yet. You can still find the Avatar before Zhao.”

Zuko turned and he had a look of desperation and almost fear on his face,”How, uncle? With Zhao’s resources, it’s just a matter of time before he captures the Avatar.”

He turned back to look at the sea, whispering brokenly,”My honor, my throne, my country, I’m about to lose them all…”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Masako, Iroh, Lieutenant Jee, and a few other crew members sat in a circle. They played instruments, sang, and some clapped in time with the music. 

Once one of the songs ended, Iroh stood up and lifted the tsungi horn off of himself, smiling at Masako,”Wanna give it a try?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve never-“

She felt her cheeks get hot as the crew - as well as Iroh - encouraged her,”Okay, okay. Maybe just a couple songs.”

Iroh helped her position the tsungi horn and gently wiped around the mouth piece. They all started up the music again, and Masako surprisingly wasn’t terrible with the tsungi horn. It wasn’t great by any stretch of the imagination, but it didn’t make you want to rip your ears off and throw it in the ocean either. 

They played well into the night, until everyone grew tired and wanted to retire for the night. Masako rubbed her eyes and mumbled,”I haven’t seen Zuko all night.”

“Oh, you know how he is about music night.”, Iroh chuckled. 

The next morning, Iroh and Masako were having tea on the deck. Masako hummed and pointed to the cup,”This is delicious, Iroh!”

“Thank you.”, he grinned before taking a sip of the tea himself. 

The two of them watched as Zuko stomped onto the deck,”Where have you been, Prince Zuko? You missed music night! Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song.”

“I’m going to bed. No disturbances.”, he grumbled as he walked past them. 

Iroh finished up his cup of tea with a shrug,”Then I guess we’ll just keep you on the tsungi horn, Masako.”

She stifled a laugh at the statement,”Oh yea, that’ll show him.”

It was as if Iroh was saying that by not allowing Zuko to play the tsungi horn on music nights, he was being punished in some way. Iroh had such a funny way of dealing with his nephew. There was no doubt that their bond was one that was strong. 


	11. Chapter 11

Iroh sat with Zuko and Masako at a low-lying table. He poured them all a cup of tea and then took a sip of his own,”See, Prince Zuko? A moment of quiet is good for your well-being.”

Zuko narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the cup of tea, almost as if he were unsure about whether to drink it or not. Masako rested a hand on top of his,”You’ve hardly taken any time for yourself, allow yourself a cup of tea.”

He sighed softly and nodded, picking up the tea cup. Just as he was about to take a sip of the tea, the ship jerked and the cup went flying, the tea soaking his face and hair. Zuko groaned in frustration and wiped the tea off of his face and pulled his hair back. Great, the one time they convince him to do something it blows up in his face. Literally.

The three of them hurried out to the deck to see what all the commotion was. They saw a woman with long, dark hair that covered one of her eyes riding a shirshu on the deck. A shirshu is a large, mole-like creature. It didn’t have any eyes, so it had to rely heavily on its sense of smell to get around. Shirshus were mainly used for tracking down targets, but perhaps some people just kept them as pets.

The woman riding the shirshu was holding a rolled up whip, calling out to those on the ship,”Get back! We’re after a stowaway!”

“There are no stowaways on my ship.”

The shirshu tore off the metal flooring of the deck, hurling it towards them. They dodged the metal piece and it was sent flying into the doorway that led to the main compartments of the ship. Everybody took a firebending stance, just in case the woman and her shirshu were to attack. 

“Cool, it’s not like we just got the ship repaired or anything like that.”, Masako grumbled. 

There was a gaping hole in the floor of the deck, the shirshu’s head now below the deck and undoubtedly sniffing around. They heard a barrel topple over and the shirshu pulled its head out of the hole. A man hurriedly climbed onto the deck and took off running, the woman and her creature taking off down the deck after him. The shirshu lashed out its long, barbed tongue, striking the man who then fell on the floor of the deck, paralyzed and frightened. 

“He’s paralyzed!”, Zuko said with wide eyes. 

The woman slid off of her shirshu and grabbed the man, slinging him over her shoulder,”Only temporarily. The toxins will wear off in about an hour.”

She shrugged with a smirk,”But by then, he’ll be in jail and I’ll have my money.”

“But how did you find him on my ship?”

The woman rested the man on her shirshu then mounted it,”My shirshu can smell a rat a continent away.”

She cracked her whip and the shirshu leapt off the ship and bolted down the docks. Iroh walked over to the railing and watched her leave,”Well, I’m impressed. Very impressed…”

Zuko looked at his uncle and shivered in disgust. Masako looked up at him with a raised eyebrow nonetheless,”I’m impressed too, but for a different reason than Iroh is. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

He grunted and gave her a curt nod. The two of them and Iroh made their way through the Earth Kingdom village. They stepped inside a tavern, pushing through a cheering crowd. 

Zuko yelled over the crowd, growing more annoyed by the second,”Out of my way! Step aside, filth!”

“He means no offense! I’m certain you bathe regularly!”, Iroh said apologetically. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what he meant, Iroh.”, Masako mumbled in a sing-song voice. 

They had successfully pushed their way to the front, the three of them approaching the woman who was arm wrestling a man. Zuko glared down at her,”I need to talk to you.”

“Well, if it isn’t my new friends: Angry Boy, Uncle Lazy, and The Lost Turtleduck.”

Masako and Iroh tried to tighten their lips to keep their laughter in, but they couldn’t help but laugh a little bit at the nicknames she had given them.

The woman won the arm wrestling match, slamming her opponent’s arm against the table without a sweat. The crowd cheered and threw money at her. 

“Your beast trashed my ship. You  _ have _ to pay me back!”

The woman raked the winnings towards her side of the table,”Well, I’d love to help you out, but I’m a little short on money. Drinks on me!”

The crowd cheered again and she went to take a sip of her drink, but Zuko gripped her wrist in anger,”Money isn’t what I had in mind. I need you to find someone.”

They all found themselves outside. The woman leaned against her shirshu while Iroh, Zuko, and Masako stood in front of her. Zuko held Katara’s necklace in his palm and looked at the woman expectantly. 

“What happened? Your girlfriend run off on you?”, she said teasingly. 

Masako’s breath caught in her throat. She looked away, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Just the thought of that made her stomach lurch and her throat dry up like a desert. 

“It’s not the girl I’m after, it’s the bald monk she’s traveling with.”

The bounty hunter let out a sigh and rolled her eyes,”Whatever you say.”

“If you find them, I’ll consider the damage to my ship  _ paid for _ .”

She scoffed and started to climb up into the saddle,”Forget it.”

“Plus, we’ll pay your weight in gold.”, Iroh spoke up. 

She stopped and smiled, looking back at him,”Make it  _ your  _ weight, and we got a deal.”

“You got it!”, Iroh laughed. 

She grinned as she climbed into the saddle,”Well get on!”

The three of them climbed on top of the shirshu, squeezing tightly. Iroh sat behind the bounty hunter, Zuko behind him, and Masako on the back. The woman held the necklace in front of the shirshu’s nose, letting it get the scent. Once it had caught the scent, the four of them were off. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


They stopped in front of an herbalist shop and an elderly woman looked up at them, a white cat circling at her feet,”Out for a bit of fresh air, are we?”

“We’re looking for someone.”

“I hope it’s not Miyuki.”, she looked down at her cat,”Miyuki, did you get in trouble with the Fire Nation again?”

“The Avatar has been through here. Let’s keep moving.”, the bounty hunter said. 

Masako laughed softly as the shirshu started running again. Zuko looked over his shoulder at her,”What?”

“Nothing. It’s just the idea that a cat could be in trouble with the Fire Nation, I found it funny.”

He snickered and turned his head forwards again. They stopped again in a small town in front of a woman’s shop,”Why are we stopping?!”

“Because the girl must’ve spent a lot of time here.”, June shrugged. 

Zuko got off of the shirshu and dangled the necklace in front of the creature’s nose,”We don’t have time for this!”

It growled and snapped at him, but Zuko dodged his tongue lashing at him,”Hey! Watch it!”

“Oh look, he likes you!”, June, the bounty hunter, said sarcastically. 

They were off again, slowing down once they were at an abbey. The nuns screamed in horror and ran, hiding behind columns and fountains. June hummed,”We’re getting close…”

She cracked her whip and they took off again, this time heading into the woods. Nyla, the shirshu, leaped through the air and landed behind Sokka and Katara.

“So this is your girlfriend!”, June laughed softly as Zuko slid off of Nyla,”No wonder she left, she's way too pretty for you.”

Zuko ignored her, focusing his attention fully on the siblings from the Water Tribe now,”Where is he? Where is the Avatar?”

“We split up, he’s long gone.”, Sokka stated. 

“How stupid do you think I am?”

“Pretty stupid.”, he shrugged before grabbing Katara and running off with her,”Run!”

Nyla lashes his tongue out at them, paralyzing them. He stalked closer to Katara and Sokka, sniffing them.

“What are we supposed to do now?”

“Nyla’s seeking a different scent, perhaps something that the Avatar held.”

Zuko climbed onto the shirshu once again and Nyla knocked a map out of Sokka’s pack, sniffing it for a few seconds before looking up as if to follow the trail of the scent. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


They were soon back at the abbey, where Nyla walks in circles,”What's it doing?! Why are we just going around in circles?!”

Nuka stood up on his hind legs, knocking everyone off of him as he lashed his tongue out in the air, trying to swat at Aang,”The Avatar!”

Nyla collapsed to the ground as Aang glided down to the ground. Zuko and Masako hurried to their feet, shooting fire at Aang. Aang jumped out of the way and dodged their attacks, leaping from beam to beam. Masako took a shaky breath, and for once, she was growing increasingly more annoyed with every shot of theirs he avoided. 

He hopped on his flying creature, and now that Masako could see it up close, she figured that it was probably a flying bison. June had jumped onto Nyla again and as the Avatar began to fly up, Nyla lashed out his tongue at him. The bison cried out and dipped in the air slightly. The bison then slammed into Nyla’s side, sending him and June skidding across the floor. 

The Avatar back on the ground again, Zuko began to pursue him again. He shot fire at Aang at the same time that Aang blew a gust of air at him. They knocked each other across separate sides of the roof, Zuko slamming into a wall. 

Masako looked away from him, shooting a wave of fire towards Aang who narrowly dodged it due to still being a little groggy. She chased after him, scaling the wall to climb onto the roof to pursue him closer. Fire blew from her fingertips and her palms, shooting towards Aang. 

Aang turned swiftly and blew air at the fire, shooting it back towards her. Masako took a deep breath as the fire came towards her, trying her best to channel more chakra into her arms and hands. If this didn’t work, she’d be burned to a crisp for sure. She gritted her teeth and regained control of the flames, aiming them back at Aang. The fire was bigger, stronger when it shot at Aang the second time. He gasped and jumped on his glider, flying across the abbey.

Meanwhile, Iroh ran to June’s side and gingerly rubbed her cheek to wake her. June stirred slightly before getting to her feet, cracking her whip towards Nyla,”Come on, get up!”

June ran and jumped onto the creature, cracking her whip again, signaling for him to charge. He charged toward the bison and the two crashed into one another, sending June flying over the bison and colliding with the ground again. 

Zuko ran after Aang, shooting fire at him again. Aang whipped a wave of wind towards Zuko who jumped off of the roof to dodge it. As he jumped off the roof, Nyla - with June on his back once more - jumped on it, beginning to chase after Aang. 

The bison slammed his tail down, a gust of air bringing the roof down. Zuko and Aang shoot air and fire at one another, though Zuko was far more aggressive with his attacks. They ran towards a well, fighting around it. 

“You have something I want!”, Aang exclaimed before jumping into the well, hooking his foot around Katara’s necklace and taking it with him on the way down. 

Aang shot out of the well, the water spraying Zuko. The bison charged towards Zuko, but Nyla slapped him with his tongue. The bison growled in pain, turning to charge at him, but Nyla whipped him twice more. The bison fell to the ground with a low groan. 

Masako ran after and shot fire towards Katara and Sokka who were running to tip over canisters of perfume. She let out a frustrated cry and swept her arms through the air, the fire coming from her arms like a wave. Katara groaned and doused out the flames with her waterbending, using the water that came from the well and some of the perfume that was opened up by Sokka. 

They quickly poured the perfume and it flooded the abbey. Katara waterbended some of the perfume into the air, letting it fall entirely on Nyla. It must’ve confused him because he ran around wildly and lashed his tongue out at random. 

His tongue struck Zuko, slamming him against the floor and paralyzing him. Masako’s eyes went wide and she ran towards him, forgetting all about the problem at hand,”Zuko!”

Nyla bucked June off of his back and lashed his tongue out again, whipping across Masako’s back. She skidded across the floor, landing near Zuko and wincing. 

“I’m sorry.”, Zuko grunted. 

“Don’t worry about it.”, she gave him a weak smile. 

Nyla ran amok around the abbey, jumping onto the roof and stomping the roofing off. He slammed into buildings and beams, his tongue whipping June. June gritted her teeth and Iroh caught her,”June! No!”

He laid on the ground, cradling June with one of his arms. Zuko caught this out of the corner of his eye,”Uncle? I didn’t see you get hit with the tongue.”

“Shhh!”

Iroh relaxed and smiled while June opened her eyes, a scowl on her face. There was nothing that they could do besides lay there while the Avatar and his friends escaped, yet again. 


	12. Chapter 12

Masako and Zuko stood on the deck, the wind blowing softly. They had been standing in silence for a few minutes now. They didn’t feel obligated to have to say something to one another, they just enjoyed being in the other’s presence. 

“Why do you stay?”, Zuko suddenly asked. 

“What?”

He turned and looked down at her, leaning against the railing of the ship,”It’s almost been three years of this, and you don’t get anything out of it. So why are you even here?”

She let out a sigh before she too turned to look at him,”I don’t think you realize what you mean to me, Zuko.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her and she shrugged,”When we were kids, you were my friend when nobody else was. You came to me when I was at my lowest and showed me that I didn’t have to face it alone.”

Zuko scoffed,”That’s what this is about, really? Because I was nice to you when we were kids?”

He shook his head and crossed his arms,”That’s ridiculous! You left a comfy life in the Fire Nation to go around the world on some ship with me? For what?! Because I did what any kid would do?”

Masako glanced around, noticing that some of the crew had taken notice of their conversation,”Zuko, I think-“

He grabbed her chin and turned her head,”Look at me! How could you be so stupid?!”

She shoved him back, anger building up inside of her,”You’re my best friend, I can’t sit by and watch you struggle! It’s like if you’re in the ocean drowning and I was standing there and just  _ decided _ not to pull you out.”

He opened his mouth to speak up again and she narrowed her eyes,”I’m not finished.”

She jabbed a finger into his chest, looking up at him,”You need my help. You need Iroh’s help. You need people to  _ help _ you. You can’t do this by yourself!”

“I don’t need anything!”, he snapped. 

Masako took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down some,”It was you that believed in me, you still do. Let’s be honest, Zuko. Nobody else did. Azula and your father thought it was stupid for you to waste your time with some  _ peasant _ .”

“You’re not-“

“You risked a lot for me, just because we were friends. When you were banished, it was my turn to risk it for you.”, she let out a soft sigh and began walking away,”I’m just returning the favor.”

Zuko went after her and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from walking away. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. He reached down and wiped her cheek gently, and it wasn’t until now that she realized hot tears ran down her face, stinging her cheeks. 

Masako smiled gently and rested her hand on his cheek reassuringly. Her thumb ghosted along the outermost part of his scar. Normally he’d flinch away from a touch like that, but he just stood there quietly. They didn’t have to say anything, they just looked at one another and they were at peace. 

They distantly hear Lieutenant Jee start to play the lute, a few other crew members accompanying him on other instruments and Iroh singing,”Winter, spring, summer, and fall. Winter and spring, summed and fall. Four seasons, four loves. Four seasons, four loves.”

Zuko glanced in their direction but couldn’t really see them, a couple of other members of the crew now dancing. Masako let her hand slip down from his face to his chest before letting it fall entirely. 

“They’re noisy.”, Zuko grumbled before leading her to his quarters. 

A crew of masked Fire Nation soldiers had boarded the ship along with Admiral Zhao. The music and dancing suddenly stopped and everyone looked towards them. 

Zuko looked over at Iroh who had just come in the room,”For the  _ last time _ , I’m not playing the tsungi horn.”

“No, it’s about our plans. There’s a bit of a problem.”

Zhao approaches them and raises his eyebrows at Zuko and Masako,”Oh, how cute.”

They separated from one another, almost as if burned by one another. Zhao chuckled and tilted his head, his laughter falling flat,”I’m taking your crew.”

“What?!”

“I’ve recruited them for a little expedition to the North Pole.”

“Uncle, is this true?”

“I’m afraid so. He's taking everyone. Even the cook!”

Zhao sighed and shrugged,”Sorry you won’t be there to watch me capture the Avatar. But I can’t have you getting in my way again.”

Zhao walked over to inspect the curved broadswords mounted on Zuko’s wall. He takes one off the wall and looks over at him,”I didn’t know you were skilled with broadswords, Prince Zuko.”

“I’m not. They’re antiques, just decorative.”

The admiral redirected his attention to Iroh,”Have you heard of The Blue Spirit, General Iroh?”

“Just rumors. I don’t think he is real.”

“He’s real alright. He’s a criminal, an enemy of the Fire Nation. I have a feeling justice will catch up to him soon.”, he handed the broadsword to Iroh as he walked towards the door,”General Iroh, the offer to join my mission still stands if you change your mind.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


At night, Iroh smiles gently at Zuko who is lying in his bed,”The crew wanted me to wish you safe travels.”

“Good riddance to those traitors.”

“It’s a lovely night for a walk. Why don’t you join me? It would clear your head.”

When Zuko doesn’t answer, Iroh’s smile falls,”Or just stay in your room and sit in the dark. Whatever makes you happy.”

He and Masako walk down the gangplank to the dock. Iroh hums the song he was singing earlier as they walk down the dock. They walk down a dirt road when they hear an explosion behind them. 

Iroh turns around, his face contorted with surprise and fear,”Zuko!”

They take off running back to the ship. Once they make it back to the dock, the ship is already burning. Burning debris falls around them and the flames dance in their eyes. Iroh looks down in sadness,”Prince Zuko…”

Masako chokes out a sob and instinctively hugs Iroh, crying into his shoulder. She gripped at the back of his shirt, wanting to cling to something. Iroh hugs her tightly, the warmth of him radiating into her. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


“I’m devastated, just devastated.”, Zhao says. 

Iroh and Masako sit with Zhao at a low table, sipping tea with him. Iroh speaks in a low voice,”The Fire Lord will not be pleased when he learns who was responsible.”

“You know who was...behind the attack?”

“Yes…”, Iroh slams his fist into the table,”It was pirates! We had a run in with them awhile back. They wanted revenge.”

Zhao took a sip of tea and looked at Iroh,”So have you reconsidered my offer?”

Iroh bowed,”Yes, I will accept. It will be an honor to serve as your general.”

He lifted his cup,”To the Fire Nation!”

Zhao raised his cup with Iroh’s,”To victory!”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


The ships line the dock at the Fire Navy base. Iroh and Masako walk down the corridor of Zhao’s ship, a guard walking towards them. They stopped when they were beside each other and Iroh whispered lowly,”Our plan is working perfectly. Zhao doesn’t suspect a thing.”

Zuko removed his guard mask, his face cut and bruised all over. Masako averted her eyes, not wanting to see him like that. 

“You didn’t have to do this.”

“No nephew of mine is going to stow away on a ship without some back up!”

“Thank you, uncle.”

They heard a noise and Masako whispered hastily,”Someone’s coming!”

Zuko replaces his mask and Iroh fumbles to get his words out,”Stay hidden until we get to the North Pole and the Avatar will be yours, good luck!”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Masako doesn’t do much to pass her time on Zhao’s ship. It’s not like Zuko’s where there are music nights and the crew doesn’t mind talking to you. Not to mention the fact that she obviously can’t spend time with Zuko because that would draw too much attention to him. And Zhao won’t let her sit in on important discussions that he has with Iroh. She has no say in anything and is probably nothing more than a pawn for Zhao. 

She hated it here. It was uncomfortable and angering to be on Admiral Zhao’s vessel. She hated him, so much. Before it was just a dislike of him, but as of late it’s gone into full blown hatred. 

She got up from her bed and walked out of her quarters. She shivers as the icy air whips in the wind. The Southern Water Tribe was absolutely freezing, so she guessed that the Northern Water Tribe wouldn’t be any different. The only thing is, she forgot just how cold it was. 

Masako bumped into Iroh and breathed a sigh of relief,”I’m so happy to see you, Iroh.”

“And I’m happy to see you too.”, he grinned as the two of them began walking down the hallways. 

They walked by a guard and Iroh whispered,”We’ll be landing soon. Do you have a plan?”

Zuko removed his mask and whispered quietly,”I’m working on it, uncle.”

He quickly replaced his mask and continued walking on. Masako sighed deeply as they too started to walk again. Iroh placed a hand on her back,”We’ll be alright.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Iroh and Masako walk through a door, shutting it firmly behind them. Zuko was out of the Fire Nation soldier uniform and now dressed in plain grey clothes. He prepared the canoe to be lowered into the water that he was going to use to get into the Northern Water Tribe. 

“If you’re fishing for octopus, my nephew, you will need a tightly woven net or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape.”

“I don’t need your wisdom right now, uncle.”

“I’m sorry. I just nag you well, because, ever since I lost my son…”

Iroh looked away, a pained look on his face. Masako rubbed his back to try and reassure him. 

“Uncle, you don’t have to say it.”

“I think of you as my own.”

“I know, uncle.”, he bowed before him, saluting him with his arm over his chest,”We’ll meet again.”

Iroh rushes towards him, trapping him in a bear hug. Masako tears up and hesitantly joins in on the hug, feeling Iroh holding her tightly as well. 

They pulled away from the hug and Zuko walked over to the canoe,”After I have the Avatar…”

He stepped in the canoe and began to lower it into the water. Iroh walks to the edge, calling out,”Remember your breath of fire! It could save your life out there!”

“I will.”

“And be sure to keep your hood up, keep your ears warm!”

Zuko was now far below them now as he looked up at him,”I’ll be fine!”

Iroh watches Zuko leaving, worry in his eyes. Masako sighs softly, rubbing her hands on her arms,”There's no going back now.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Zhao, Iroh, and Masako stand together, looking up at the Northern Water Tribe,”It’s daybreak at last. Let’s rewrite history.”

The Fire Navy ship dropped its bowsprit and used it to slice open the Water Tribe’s main wall. Fire Nation troops then use the bowsprit as if it were a bridge to enter into the Water Tribe. 

“The Water Tribe can try to resist the inevitable, but their city will fall today.”

“I don’t need to remind you that we have a time limit. If we don’t defeat the Water Tribe before the full moon rises, they will be undefeatable.”

Admiral Zhao smiled evilly,”I assure you I have everything under control. I intend to remove the moon.”

Iroh whips his head around and looks at him,”Remove the moon? How?!”

A man rushes on to the observation deck behind Admiral Zhao, but he casually throws him over him and into the water. Masako looks down as she hears a big splash and shakes her head. 

“As I was saying, years ago I stumbled upon a great and powerful secret, the Moon Spirit’s mortal form.”

Iroh furrows his eyebrows together, shocked,”What?!”

“I was a young Lieutenant serving under General Shu in the Earth Kingdom...I discovered a hidden library, underground, in fact. I tore through scroll after scroll. One of them contained a detailed illustration and the words ‘moon’ and ‘ocean’. I knew then that these spirits could be found – and killed.”

“You can’t kill the Moon Spirit!”, Masako gasped. 

“Zhao, the Spirits are  _ not _ to be trifled with!”

Zhao sighed and rolled his eyes, his tone patronizing as he spoke,”Yes, yes, I know you fear the Spirits, Iroh. I've heard rumors about your journey into the Spirit World. But the Ocean and Moon gave up their immortality to become a part of our world...and now they will face the consequences!”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Iroh and Masako hurry to get to the pond that was marked on the map on the Northern Water Tribe on time. Once they get there, Zhao has the Moon Spirit in a bag and he holds a knife towards the bag as it struggles inside. 

“General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?”

“I’m no traitor, Zhao. The Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on a balance.”, Iroh says as he lowers his hood. 

Iroh points a finger at Zhao, his voice booming,”Whatever you do to that Spirit, I’ll unleash on you ten-fold!”

He and Masako take a firebending stance, Iroh’s voice like thunder now,”Let it go,  **_now_ ** !!!”

Iroh and Zhao lock eyes for a moment and Zhao falters. He kneels down and releases the fish back into the pond. Zhao stands up straight and stares at the fish. In a fit of rage, he smites the water with a blast of fire. 

Iroh recoils in horror and Masako whispered shakily,”H-He killed it, Iroh...The moon…”

Iroh instantly springs into attack, firing blast after blast as he runs across the footbridge. Zhao backs away and blocks his attacks. 

Masako and Iroh then zero in on the four guards that came with Zhao. Iroh quickly wipes out his guards with ease and precision, making Admiral Zhao flee. 

Iroh gingerly lifts the white fish out of the water, its body scorched. His expression was sad as Masako joined him at his side. Her fingers ghosted along the burn mark on the fish’s body,”How could someone do something so horrible?”

Iroh suddenly looks up at the princess of the Northern Water Tribe, and it's only now that Masako really notices her presence as well as Katara and Sokka’s,”You have been touched by the Moon Spirit! Some of its life is in you!”

“Yes, you’re right. It gave me its life. Maybe I can give it back.”

Sokka reached out for her as she trudged into the pond slowly,”No! You don’t have to do that!”

“It is my duty, Sokka.”

“I won’t let you! Your father told me to protect you!”

“I have to do this.”

She walked over to Iroh and placed her hands on the dead fish that he held which began to glow. She closed her eyes for what seemed like hours before she took her final breath, collapsing into Sokka’s arms.

“No!”, he clasped her body tightly and whispered,”She’s gone.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Zuko, Iroh, and Masako sit on a small, wooden raft in the water,”I’m surprised, Prince Zuko, that you are not at this moment trying to capture the Avatar.”

“I’m tired.”

Iroh placed a hand on Zuko’s shoulder,”Then you should rest. A man needs his rest.”

As Zuko laid down, Iroh stood up and looked up at the sky, a pained expression on his face. Masako smiled gently as Zuko put one of his hands on her knee. She rested hers on top of his and watched as he closed his eyes. 


	13. Chapter 13

Zuko and Masako sat to the side quietly while Iroh laid on the massage table, getting a massage at the resort by the river that they were at. Iroh hummed in satisfaction,”This is what I’ve been missing. Who knew floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water, and sea vultures waiting to pluck your liver out could make one so tense?”

Iroh looked over at Zuko and frowned slightly, seeing how unhappy he was. He stood up and made his way over to him, sitting down on the ground with him and Masako,”I see. It’s the anniversary, isn’t it?”

“Three years ago today, I was banished. I lost it all.”, he looked up, a solemn look on his face,”I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my honor, my throne. I want my father to not think I’m worthless.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t! Why would he banish you if he didn’t care?”

Zuko stood up and walked outside quietly. Iroh grimaced and looked at Masako,”That came out wrong, didn’t it?”

Masako combed her fingers through her hair, pulling it into a low ponytail,”A little bit, yea.”

“Do you want to go talk to him?”, Iroh inquired.

She rubbed her eyes before letting out a tired sigh,”Normally, yes, but not today. Today I won’t push and I’ll give him the space that he needs.”

“He’s lucky to have a friend who cares so much, such as yourself.”

“And he’s lucky to have an uncle as wise as you.”, she hummed.

Later, the three of them come back to the resort that they’re staying at, the room dark inside. Iroh picked up a conch shell from the bag on the table,”Look at these magnificent shells! I’ll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come.”

“We don’t need any more useless things! You forget that we have to carry everything ourselves now!”

“Hello brother. Uncle. And our dear friend.”, they heard Azula from the corner of the room who was sitting on the table.

Zuko looked in her direction and growled out his words,”What are  _ you  _ doing here?”

Azula picked up a seashell, holding it in her hand like it was glass,”In my country, we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions.”

She rose and walked towards them,”Have you become so uncivilized, Zuzu?”

“Don’t call me that!”

Iroh cleared his throat and spoke up, though it was apparent by the look on his face that he too was upset,”To what do we owe this honor?”

“Hmm...Must be a family trait. Both of you are so quick to get to the  _ point _ .”, she said as she snapped the seashell that was in her hand,”I’ve come with a message. Father’s changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He’s heard rumors to overthrow him, treacherous plots. Family are the only ones that you can really trust.”

She paused then leaned forward slightly, cocking an eyebrow,”Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home. Did you hear me? You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news.”

“I’m sure your brother simply needs a moment.”

“Don’t interrupt, uncle!”, she snapped furiously before quickly calming herself down and redirecting her attention back at Zuko,”I still haven’t heard my thank you. I’m  _ not  _ a messenger, I didn’t have to come all this way.”

Zuko looked down at the floor, surprised to say the least,”Father regrets? He...wants me back?”

“I see you need time to take this in. I’ll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening.”

Masako let out a breath she wasn’t even sure she was holding in once Azula left. It had been years since she had seen Azula, and nothing ever went well when she was. She was a liar, and she was cruel. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


_ “Sit still!”, Azula whined.  _

_ Masako furrowed her eyebrows together, a pout on her lips,”I don’t wanna get in trouble, Azula.” _

_ She rolled her eyes as she clasped the crown princess hair piece around Masako’s top knot,”See? You look cute!” _

_ “Thank you, but...I’m not meant to wear this, it isn’t right.” _

_ Masako shook her head and reached to take it out of her hair. Azula gripped her hand, a scowl on her face,”I said sit  _ **_still_ ** _!” _

_ “Azula, you’re burning me!”, Masako cried out, the tears streaming down her face like a waterfall.  _

_ She pulled her hand free and looked at the burn mark, her hands shaking. She quickly took the hairpiece out of her hair and set it on Azula’s vanity. Masako ran down the halls of the palace, her body quaking with sobs.  _

_ “What happened?!”, Zuko and Azula’s mom, Ursa, called out as she hurried towards her.  _

_ The woman squatted down and rubbed her arms slowly as Masako murmured,”Azula burned my hand…” _

_ “Come now, let’s get you something to help with that.” _

_ Ursa looked over the young girl’s shoulder to see Azula peeking out of her room trying to hide the giggle that escaped her lips. What was wrong with that child? _

  
  


{ * }

  
  


That evening in the resort, Zuko walked behind Iroh with folded laundry in his arms, his voice chipper,”We're going home. After three long years, it’s unbelievable.”

“It is unbelievable. I have never known my brother to regret anything.”

“Did you listen to Azula? Father's realized how important family is to him. He cares about me.”, Zuko said forcefully. 

Iroh looked at his nephew, concern in his eyes,”I care about you. And if Ozai wants you back...Well, I think it may not be for the reasons you imagine.”

Zuko turned his back on Iroh, his voice growing defensive,”You don’t know how my father feels about me. You don’t know anything.”

“Zuko, I only meant that in our family things are not always what they seem.”, Iroh said gently. 

Zuko whipped around angrily to face Iroh, his voice laced with venom,”I think you are  _ exactly _ what you seem: a lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who has always been jealous of his brother!”

He turned and stormed out of the resort. Iroh looked after him sadly before looking down at his feet and closing his eyes. 

Masako frowned deeply and hurried after Zuko, grabbing his arm gently. He looked over his shoulder at her with a scowl on his face,”What?! Come to lecture me too?!”

“No...I just wanted to check on you.”, she let go of his arm and backed away. 

She turned on her heel and started walking back towards the resort,”But forget it.”

Zuko reached after her but let his arm drop as she walked away. He didn’t mean to snap at her, or Iroh, his emotions were just at a high right now. But saying that wouldn’t make either one of them feel better. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


The next morning, Zuko and Masako are descending the stairs from the resort to the docks, their bags slung over their shoulders. Masako was skeptical, but she had a loyalty to Zuko before almost anything else. 

“Wait!”, they heard Iroh hurrying to catch up,”Don’t leave without me!”

Zuko turned around, a surprised smile on his face,”Uncle! You’ve changed your mind!”

Iroh rests a hand on Zuko’s back as they continue walking,”Family sticks together, right?”

“We’re finally going home.”

As they arrive at the docks where the Fire Nation ship is, the three of them look around and take in their surroundings. There’s a single file line of Fire Nation soldiers lining the dock on either side. Azula stood at the top of the staircase, opening her arms and bowing,”Brother, uncle! Masako! Welcome, I’m glad you decided to come.”

“Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?”

“Set our course for home, Captain.”

Zuko smiled wistfully and hummed,”Home…”

As they began to climb the stairs, the captain called out to the men,”You heard the princess! Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners ho-“

He stopped abruptly, realizing the mistake that he had made. Azula looked absolutely enraged while Iroh, Zuko, and Masako looked surprised. 

“Your Highness, I…”, the captain said, mortified of the consequences. 

Zuko charged up the stairs, throwing one of the guards beside her overboard,”You lied to me!”

Masako hurriedly topped the other guard overboard, watching him fall until he made a splash in the water. 

Azula rolled her eyes as she said smugly,”Like I’ve never done that before.”

Azula took off running and two guards shot fire towards Zuko. He swept the fire to the side before shooting a blast of fire at each of them, knocking them back and throwing them overboard. He ran after his sister, anger clouding his eyes. 

Masako jumped over the stairs, bringing her foot down when she landed and knocking three guards into the water. She punched the air, a huge fireball knocking two of the soldiers back towards the staircase that led to the resort. 

Iroh kicked his foot low, sweeping the legs out from under two guards while the fire that came from his foot knocked them and two other guards into the water. He and Masako aggressively shot at the guards on the dock. Iroh gripped one’s hand that was about to firebend at him, throwing him into the water,”Zuko! Let’s go!!”

Masako slid in between the legs of one of Azula’s soldiers. She kicked him into the water and blasted fire at the soldier behind him, slamming him into the side of the ship before he fell into the water with a large splash,”Iroh, go help Zuko! I’ll hold them off!”

Iroh grunted and furrowed his eyebrows together, uncertain, but raced up the stairs and towards Zuko anyway. Masako held off the soldiers, looking at the ship and her eyes widening when she saw lightning shooting into the sky. 

She shot out a thick wheel of fire, knocking all of the soldiers back and ensuring they’d stay down when she saw Zuko and Iroh running towards her. The three of them ran down a pathway, not slowing down or stopping and certainly not looking over their shoulders to see if anyone was chasing after them. 

They stopped at a small creek, panting. Iroh glanced between them,”I think we're safe here.”

They collapse on their knees before the river. Zuko pulls out a knife, staring at it briefly. Iroh looks at him and nods solemnly. Zuko takes a deep breath and reaches behind his head with the knife, cutting his ponytail off. He then handed the knife to Iroh who followed his nephew’s lead, cutting off his top knot. Iroh then looked to Masako, passing her the knife. 

She shakily took the knife in her hand, gathering up her hair in her free hand. She reached behind her head and gritted her teeth, cutting off her hair that fell to the middle of her back to her shoulders with the knife. 

Masako, Zuko, and Iroh all drop their hair into the river. Masako passes the knife to Iroh who passes it back to Zuko. They all sit quietly on their knees, watching as the river washed away their hair and with it, their old lives. 


	14. Chapter 14

It had been a couple of weeks since they’d escaped from Azula’s grasp now. They tried not to stay in one place for too long and had all found themselves dark green shirts and trousers to help them fit in better in the Earth Kingdom. 

Masako and Iroh eyed a plant and she shook her head,”No, look at the leaves!”

They both looked up as Zuko emerged from the bushes behind them, obviously frustrated,”I didn't find anything to eat. I can't live like this. I wasn't meant to be a fugitive.”

A thin layer of hair now covered his head; His hair was proving to be growing in faster than Iroh and Masako’s. He kicked at the ground angrily,”This is impossible!”

Zuko raised his eyebrow at Iroh who was now sniffing the plant,”Uncle...What are you doing?”

“You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make a tea so delicious it's heartbreaking!”, Iroh said lovingly before he grew more serious,”That, or it’s the white jade bush, which is poisonous.”

“We need food, not tea. I’m going fishing.”, he grumbled before walking away once again.

“Wait up, I’ll come with you!”, Masako then turned to Iroh with narrowed eyes,”Leave the plant be, Iroh.”

As she walked away she could hear Iroh thinking aloud,”Delectable tea? Or deadly poison?”

Later, Zuko and Masako walk back towards where they were earlier. He held a small fish that wiggled pathetically in his hand. Masako giggled and knocked her shoulder against his arm,”Come on, it's cute!”

“Cute won't keep us from starving.”

She sighed and looked down, watching her feet as they walked,”Maybe we just went at a bad time?”

The two of them pushed through the bushes and saw Iroh in practically the same position he was in when they left,”Zuko, remember that plant that I thought was tea?”

“You didn’t!”

“I did.”, he turned to look at them, his face red and swollen,”And it wasn’t.”

“Yah!”, Zuko looked away, repulsed. 

Masako frowned and found herself focusing on the bush that was behind Iroh,”I told you not to touch the plant!”

“When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing.”, he said calmly while he itched himself. 

“Oh well that’s just wonderful news.”, Masako rolled her eyes. 

Iroh perked up and presented them with a twig that had berries on it,”But look what I found! These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade plant. That, or macahoni berries that cause blindness.”

Zuko groaned, beginning to lose his patience with his uncle,”We're not taking any more chances with these plants! We need to get help…”

“But where are we going to go? We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives from the Fire Nation.”

Zuko looked off distantly,”If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed.”

Iroh tilted his head and chimed in,”But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula.”

They all looked at each other for a few seconds, as if they were making sure that they were all on the same page. Masako smiled brightly,”Earth Kingdom it is!”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


The three of them find themselves in an Earth Kingdom village’s hospital. Zuko and Masako sit to the side while Iroh sits on a table, being examined by the village’s healer. She applied a clay-like substance to Iroh’s rash to help eradicate it. 

“You three must not be from around here. We know better than to touch the white jade, much less make it into tea and drink it.”

Iroh laughed sheepishly with a shrug,”Whoops!”

“So where are you traveling from?”

Zuko stood up and spoke quickly,”Yes, we’re travelers!”

She nodded as she continued to plaster the medicine on Iroh,”Do you have names?”

“Names, of  _ course _ we have names. I'm...Lee. And this is my uncle, uh...Mushi. Oh! And this is my friend uh...Eko.”

Masako gritted her teeth and looked at Zuko with narrowed eyes,”My parents always wanted a  _ boy _ .”

Iroh looked around the woman to glare at Zuko,”Yes, but my nephew was named after his father, so we just call him Junior.”

“Mushi, Junior, and Eko, huh? My name is Song. You three look like you could use a good meal. Why don't you stay for dinner?”

“Sorry, but we need to be moving on.”

“That’s too bad. My mom always makes too much roast duck.”

Iroh leaned forward slightly,”Where do you live exactly?”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


They sat at the table as Song’s mother brought out the roast duck, setting it in the center of the table. Everyone made their plate as she took her seat,”My daughter tells me you're refugees. We were once refugees ourselves.”

“When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away.”, Song poked at her food, her voice filled with sorrow,”That was the last time I saw my father.”

Zuko lowered his gaze,”We haven’t seen our fathers in many years.”

“Oh. Are they fighting in the war?”

Iroh slurped down his noodles, almost as if he wasn’t paying attention to the conversation around him. Zuko glances at Masako who spoke gruffly,”Yes.”

It was easier that way, she thought. The Fire Lord was in fact fighting in the war, so she wasn’t lying there. And she didn’t really want to have to say that her father just hated her and could care less where she was or what she did. 

When they left later, Song and her mother stood on the porch to bid them farewell. Iroh smiled wide,”Thank you for the duck. It was excellent!”

“Yes, thank you for your hospitality.”, Masako bowed. 

“You're welcome. It brings me joy to see someone eat my cooking with such...gusto.”, she smiled as she handed him a package of leftovers. 

“Much practice.”, Iroh chuckled as he patted his stomach. 

He then stopped Zuko as he turned to leave,”Junior, where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people.”

Zuko turned towards them and bowed, his voice void of emotion,”Thank you.”

“I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world, but there is hope. The Avatar has returned!”, Song said quickly. 

“I know.”

Zuko turned and walked away, Iroh and Masako in tow. As they walk past the courtyard gate, they see an ostrich horse tethered to a stable. Zuko stopped and looked at the ostrich horse before looking back at the courtyard behind them. He released the animal and began to lead it away with them. 

“What are you doing? These people just showed you great kindness.”, Iroh said, appalled. 

“They're about to show us a little more kindness.”, he said as he got on the animal. 

He looked between Masako and Iroh and held his hand out,”Well?”

Masako took his hand, using it to help pull herself onto the ostrich horse’s back. Zuko then helped to pull Iroh up. They rode off into the night in silence, unaware of their next destination. 


	15. Chapter 15

Zuko, Masako, and Iroh sit on straw mats in an Earth Kingdom village, their ostrich horse behind them. Masako glanced at Zuko and mumbled,”I’m exhausted.”

“I know.”

She furrowed her eyebrows together but chose not to say anything. Normally he’d say something along the lines of everyone was exhausted, so she didn’t know why now was an exception. 

Iroh held out a hat to a man walking by,”Spare coins for weary travelers?”

“This is humiliating! We're royalty. These people should be giving us whatever we want.”

“They will, if you ask nicely.”

As a woman began to walk by, Iroh held out the hat again and spoke in a weak voice,”Spare change for a hungry old man?”

“Aww, here you go.”, she smiled as she tossed a coin in the hat.

“The coin is appreciated, but not as much as your smile.”

Zuko smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand as the woman walked away giggling. A man with broadswords approached them and tilted his head,”How about some entertainment in exchange for a gold piece?”

Masako gritted her teeth and she spat the words out at the man at the same time that Zuko did,”We’re not performers.”

Iroh smiled brightly and put his hat on the ground as he stood up,”Not professional, anyway!”

He clasped his hands and began to sing,”It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, but the girls in the city, they look so pretty!”

The broadswords man swatted and sliced his sword at the ground at Iroh’s feet, making him jump,”Come on! We’re talking a gold piece here! Let’s see some action!”

Zuko groaned and began to stand up, but Masako gripped his arm and yanked him back. He sent her a glare, but she mumbled under her breath,”I don’t like it either, but we can’t...right now.”

Zuko gritted his teeth and gripped at his knees with his hands. Masako slowly let go of him and rested her forehead on his upper arm, whispering softly,”I know…”

“Nothing like a fat man dancing for his dinner!”, the man laughed as he tossed the gold coin in the hat before walking away. 

“Such a kind man!”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


“You’re not coming with me?”

“I-“, Masako looked down, shaking her head,”I can’t.”

Zuko stepped towards her, staring down into her eyes,”You saw how that man was, Masako, how he treated uncle.”

She pressed a hand against his chest, trying to get some space between them,”But that doesn’t make this right. I can’t do this with you, I’m sorry.”

His jaw locked and she could tell that he had some sort of snide remark in mind but that he was holding his tongue about it. He sighed softly, his shoulders slouching. He rested a hand on her cheek before almost immediately letting his hand drop,”Fine. I’ll do this on my own…”

Days later, Masako and Iroh sat in a dark cave. They looked up as Zuko tossed a few baskets of food before them,”Where did you get these?”

“What does it matter where they came from?”, Zuko answered as he walked away. 

Masako frowned deeply and hung her head. She wanted to go after him but she knew that it wasn’t the time. Ever since she talked to Zuko the night that the man swatted the sword at Iroh’s feet, he’s been distant. She hated the idea that maybe she and Zuko were growing apart. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Iroh looks at Zuko questioningly, sitting and inspecting the gold teapot in front of him,”Looks like you did some serious shopping. But where did you get the money?”

“Do you like your new teapot?”, Zuko asked. 

“To be honest with you, the best tea tastes delicious whether it comes in a porcelain pot or a tin cup.”, he walked over to Zuko and rested a hand on his shoulder,”I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by. But it's nothing to be ashamed of. There is a simple honor in poverty.”

“There's no honor for me without the Avatar.”

Iroh looked down and sighed softly,”Zuko...Even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve our problems. Not now.”

“Then there is no hope at all.”, Zuko said abruptly as he began to walk away. 

“No, Zuko! You must never give in to despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts.”, he spoke more gently once Zuko had stopped to listen again,”In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength.”

Zuko looked over his shoulder at Iroh and they stayed silent for quite some time. Zuko finally let out a sigh and walked out of the cave. 

Masako frowned deeply and hurried after him. She was trying her best to stay out of it. She didn’t want to drive him further away from her. But she realized now that was selfish of her,”Zuko, wait!”

“What?”

She grabbed his hand and stopped walking, letting out a sigh of relief when he turned to talk to her,”There is hope, even if you don’t see it. You’re strong, not only physically but mentally. You’ve had to go through things that no teenager should have to, and you’re stronger than most because of it.”

Masako swallowed thickly and looked up at him. His scowl slowly faded and he just looked down at her with a look she didn’t understand. They were quiet for what felt like centuries, until Zuko hugged her tightly and buried his face in her neck. 

She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest and inhaling deeply. This was rare. The affection and the openness of the moment was something new to Masako, to both of them. 

He slowly pulled away from her and gave her a weak smile,”I uh...I got you something.”

“Did you?”

Zuko nodded and fished in his pocket, retrieving a golden ring with a red jewel on it. He held it out to her, his cheeks hot and his voice insistent,”Well?”

Masako smiled brightly and took a step forward. She hesitantly reached up, cupping his face in her hands. She stood up taller on her tiptoes, her face scorching hot as she waited for him to push her away. But he didn’t. 

He closed the distance between the two of them, humming softly as his lips pressed against hers. He relaxed into her touch, letting her run her fingers through his hair. 

Zuko kissed her with urgency, and his rough, chapped lips felt soothed by her soft, sweet lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist, wanting desperately to push everything other than what he was feeling right now out of his mind. 

Masako slowly pulled away, breathless, a bright smile on her face. As she eased back down to her normal height, her fingers traced along the scar around his eye before she forced herself to pull away from him entirely. 

He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, a goofy grin on his face as he mumbled,”I would’ve accepted a thank you, but I’m not sure I will anymore after that.”

She jumped slightly when she heard Iroh calling after them,”I uh...I guess we should go back.”

“Yea, I guess so.”

He placed the ring in her hand gently, his fingers lingering a couple seconds longer than usual before he began to walk back to the cave. 


	16. Chapter 16

Masako frowned as she raked her fingers through her hair to get the tangles out. It almost felt wrong that her hair only fell a little past her shoulders now. She silently wished that her how would grow back as quickly as Zuko’s or that she still managed to look herself, like Iroh. But she guessed that would defeat the whole purpose of cutting her hair in the first place. 

“Uncle, I thought a lot about what you said.”

She looked up as Zuko broke the silence between all of them. Iroh looked over at him, a pleased look on his face,”You did? Good, good.”

Zuko nodded curtly and spoke in an even tone of voice,”It's helped me realize something. We no longer have anything to gain by traveling together. I need to find my own way.”

Iroh slumped over slightly when he noticed the two of them grabbing a pack,”You’re going with him, aren't you?”

Masako smiled sheepishly and nodded as Zuko began to walk out of the cave, following after him. 

“Wait!”

Iroh hurries after them, leading the ostrich horse towards them and dropping the reins in Zuko’s hands. Zuko climbed onto the ostrich horse, grabbing Masako’s hand and helping her up like he had many times before, even if she didn’t need it. 

Zuko looked back at his uncle before shaking the reins, the ostrich horse galloping away. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Masako rested her face against his back as they approached a rope suspension bridge. She didn’t have the energy to look up or to talk to him anymore, and she felt guilty because she was almost certain that her leaning on him wasn’t helping him in the slightest. 

As they crossed the bridge, halfway through the ostrich horse’s foot went through the wooden bridge. 

“Hold on!”

Masako wrapped her arms around him tightly, clinging onto his shirt as he fussed with the reins. After a few seconds, he managed to help get the ostrich horse’s leg free and they galloped across the rest of the bridge. 

Zuko looked over his shoulder at Masako who still had a tight grip on him, mumbling,”We’re fine now…”

She let go of him with a soft sigh, peeking up slightly when she smelled food cooking. Zuko’s stomach growled as the aroma danced through the air. He clutched his stomach as he looked to his right, seeing a man and a woman in Earth Kingdom attire. 

He gripped the hilt of his broadswords, watching them. The man brought over food to the woman who was reclined against the tree and they could now see that she was pregnant. The man smiled wide as he rubbed her swollen stomach. 

Zuko let go of the hilt of his swords and lowered his eyes, pressing forward on the mount. They pressed on for what seemed like days but probably was only some odd hours. 

They enter an Earth Kingdom village and dismount from the ostrich horse when they reach a stall in the market. Zuko set a few coins on the counter of the stall,”Could I get some water, a bag of feed, and something hot to eat?”

“Not enough here for a hot meal. I can get you two bags of feed.”

Zuko looked to Masako who merely shrugged with a wry smile. He then looked down in despair and closed his eyes slowly. Masako rubbed his back, as if to tell him that she didn’t mind or that it would be okay. 

The two of them looked to the side when they heard a couple kids laughing. They watched the children silently as they threw an egg at the gambling soldiers behind them before running off. 

“Hey!”, one of the soldiers exclaimed as they all approached them, but their attention was directed at Zuko,”You throwing eggs at us, stranger?”

“No.”

“You see who did throw it?”

Zuko turned slightly to look at them, his hand on the hilt of his swords,”No.”

“That's your favorite word, no?”

Another soldier chimed in,”Egg had to come from somewhere.”

Zuko turned back towards the merchant,”Maybe a chicken flew over.”

As the merchant returned and set two bags of feed on the counter, a soldier pushed through and grabbed the feed, tossing a bag to another soldier. He laughed and looked back at them, glancing between the two before his eyes settled on Zuko,”Thanks for your contribution. The army appreciates your support. You better leave town. Penalty for staying is a lot steeper than you can afford, stranger.”

“Those soldiers are supposed to protect us from the fire nation, but they're just a bunch of thugs.”, the merchant sighed. 

Zuko looked down before mounting the ostrich horse again, helping Masako on behind him. She rubbed her eyes and settled into the saddle. That’s three coins they’ll never get back. 

Just as they’re about to leave, a young boy hurries to their side,”Thanks for not rating me out.”

Zuko began riding away, ignoring the young boy. However, the boy followed after them anyway,”I'll take you to my house and feed your ostrich horse for you. Come on, I owe you.”

Masako murmured quietly,”Maybe they’ll feed us too.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


They arrive at the farm and the pigs oink and make various noises all around them. The boy grins,”No one can ever sneak up on us.”

“No kidding.”, Zuko says. 

The boy walks off, leading the ostrich horse to the barn as a man approaches them,”Are you friends of Lee’s?”

The boy, Lee, hurries back with a bright smile on his face at the question,”This guy just stood up to the soldiers! By the end, he practically had them running away.”

Masako looks down and giggles softly, finding Lee’s excitement endearing in a way. She looked back up as a woman came from the house and towards her husband and son,”Does this guy have a name? Or his...lady friend?”

Zuko flushes and clears his throat,”I’m uh…”

“He doesn't have to say who he is if he doesn't want to, Sela. And neither does she. Anyone who can hold his own against those bully 'soldiers' is welcome here.”

The man wrapped an arm around his wife and son,”Those men should be ashamed to wear Kingdom uniforms.”

“The real soldiers are off fighting the war, like Lee's big brother Sen Su. Supper's going to be ready soon. Would you like to stay?”

Masako perked you at the thought of food and was about to accept the invitation when Zuko spoke up,”We can’t. We should be moving on.”

“Gansu could use some help on the barn. Why don't you two work for a while, and then we'll eat.”, Sela said with a smile before looking at Masako,”And you can help me out inside.”

Zuko nodded at her suggestion, looking over at Masako and giving her a small smile, his hand gently rubbing her back before dropping to his side,”See you in a bit.”

Masako followed Sela inside, hugging herself as if it were a way to comfort herself. She helped Sela in the kitchen who smiled softly,”You don’t seem like you’re from around here.”

“We’re not.”

The statement seemed to silence the woman’s curiosity for a period before she suddenly said,”You make a cute couple.”

Masako slices the knife down hard in surprise, nicking the very tip of her finger,”Mm!”

Sela hurries over and holds her hand under the faucet as she turns the sink on,”I-I’m sorry, I hope you didn’t mind my saying so.”

“We aren’t together.”, Masako grunted as she watched her blood flowing down the sink with the water. 

Sela turned off the sink and wrapped a towel around Masako’s finger, applying a bit of pressure to it,”Well, you had me fooled. He looks at you like…”

Masako laughed softly and rolled her eyes,”We’ve known each other since we were children.”

Sela merely hummed as she resumed cooking. Masako looked out the window, watching Zuko work on the roof of the barn. She knew of her feelings for him, she’s had them for a while now, but she wasn’t sure about how Zuko felt about her anymore. 

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Masako slept next to Zuko on the hay in the barn. Somewhere throughout the night, she had buried herself into his side, draping an arm across him. Maybe it was just so she could be warmer, or maybe it was specifically Zuko’s warmth that she yearned for. 

Zuko awakes at the sound of Lee sneaking into the barn and taking his broadswords. Masako shifts and opens her eyes,”What's going on…?”

Zuko slips his arm out from under her as he stands up and murmurs,”It’s nothing, go back to sleep.”

She watches him walk out of the barn before she too gets up. She walked to the other side of the barn, leaning against the open barn doors as she watched Zuko approach Lee in the fields. She had to struggle to hear the conversation, but she was able to nonetheless. 

“You're holding them all wrong.”

Lee bowed and held the swords out to Zuko, ashamed. Zuko shook his head and rested his hands on Lee’s instead of taking the swords back,”Keep in mind, these are dual swords.”

Masako grins sleepily as Zuko grabbed the swords from Lee gently and began to demonstrate for him,”Two halves of a single weapon. Don't think of them as separate, because they're not. They're just two different parts of the same whole.”

She watched as he handed the swords back to the boy and watched him cut and slice the air, his movements more fluid now. Lee looked back to Zuko,”I think you'd really like my brother Sen Su. He used to show me stuff like this all the time.”

Zuko returned to the barn shortly after and looked over at Masako with surprise,”You’re up, I thought I told you to go back to bed.”

“That was a good thing that you did.”

Zuko merely shrugged as he settled back into his spot on the hay. Masako laid down next to him and whispered softly, like she was afraid of how he would respond to what she would say,”I think you’d make a good father some day…”

“Maybe.”, he grumbled, but when he looked over at her, a small smile was present on his lips.

  
  


{ * }

  
  


As Zuko and Masako are about to leave, they see the soldiers from the day before approaching. 

“What do they want?”

“Trouble.”, Masako mumbled. 

“What do you want, Gow?”, Gansu spat. 

The soldier shrugged,”Just thought someone ought to tell you, your son's battalion got captured. You boys hear what the Fire Nation did with their last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?”

“Dressed them up in Fire Nation uniforms and put them on the frontline unarmed, way I heard it. Then they just watched.”

Gansu growled in response,”You watch your mouth!”

Gow headed towards the man on his ostrich horse, but Zuko blocked his way,”Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs?”

Zuko stares him down and the soldiers hesitantly retreat, mumbling under their breath. Lee frowns deeply,”What's going to happen to my brother?”

“I'm going to the front. I'm going to find Sen Su and bring him back.”, Gansu stated. 

Lee began to cry and ran after Zuko and Masako who were riding away on the ostrich horse,”When my dad goes, will you stay?”

“No. I need to move on. Here.”, Zuko handed him the dagger that his Uncle Iroh gave him years ago when he was a child,”I want you to have this. Read the inscription.”

“Made in the Earth Kingdom.”

Masako giggled but Zuko rolled his eyes,”The other one.”

“Never give up without a fight.”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


They awake to the sound of a wagon approaching. The two of them get to their feet when they see a distraught Sela climbing out of it and approaching them,”You have to help. It's Lee. The thugs from town came back as soon as Gansu left. When they ordered us to give them food, Lee pulled a knife on them. I don't even know where he got a knife! Then they took him away. They told me if he's old enough to fight, he's old enough to join the army. I know we barely know you, but…”

She begins to cry and Zuko speaks up,”We’ll get your son back.”

They ride into the village and they see Lee tied to a post. He smiles brightly as they dismount,”Hey! There he is! I told you he'd come.”

Gow and his men emerge from the shadows and stare them down. Zuko takes his hat off and speaks in a threatening tone,”Let the kid go.”

Gow laughed boisterously,”Who do you think you are? Telling us what to do?”

“It doesn't matter who I am, but I know who you are. You're not soldiers. You're bullies. Freeloaders, abusing your power. Mostly over women and kids. You don't want Lee in your army.”

Masako steps forward and stands beside Zuko, her face twisted in disgust as she looks at the men,”You’re just sick cowards who are just messing with a family who’s already lost a son to the war!”

“Are you going to let these strangers stand there and insult you like this?”, Gow said to his men. 

Zuko readied his swords and looked at Masako with worry in his eyes as the men charged at them,”You don’t have a weapon.”

“I’m resourceful.”, she said with a wicked grin. 

Masako rolled to the side as a man threw a spear at her. She quickly pulled the spear out of the ground and threw it back at the man, sticking him in the thigh. She glanced over to see Zuko fighting the men with such precision and yet still fluid movements. 

She watched the man who threw a spear at her stumble back. She rushed towards him as she dodged the spears being thrown at her. She gripped the hilt of the man’s sword and grinned,”I’ll be taking this.”

Masako elbowed the man to the ground before running at another man. She slid in between his legs as he swung his sword wildly at her. She swept his feet out from under him and stomped on his back. This is one of the few times in her life that she was actually grateful to Zuko for teaching her how to fight with more than just firebending over the years. 

She rushed towards Gow as she saw that he was the only man left standing now. Her eyes filled with horror as a Gow lifted up the earth and shot a large rock towards Zuko. Lee shouted out,”Behind you!”

“Move!”, Masako cried. 

Zuko whipped around and his eyes widened, the rock slamming into his chest and knocking him to the ground. Masako hurried towards him,”No!”

She fell to her knees and looked down at him, tears welling up in her eyes. She had dropped the sword, gripping at Zuko’s shirt and whispering desperately,”Get up, just get up already!”

Masako felt the sadness and anger swirl inside as he didn’t move. She looked at Gow who stalked towards them, snarling at him,”You! You’re a monster! Don’t take another step towards him!”

“Or what, girly?”, he taunted as he came closer. 

Masako gritted her teeth as she got to her feet, tears streaming down her face. She swung her arm out, flames shooting off of her like fireworks and knocking Gow back,”I said not another step!!”

The people around them looked on in horror. Zuko’s eyes shot open and he shot fire at Gow and pushed him further back, his eyes filled with rage. 

“You’re okay!”, Masako hugged him tightly as he stood up. 

“I’m fine.”, Zuko mumbled as he walked towards Gow, the fire dancing all around them now. 

“Who...Who are you?”, Gow asked in a weak, panicked voice. 

Zuko spoke with confidence as he sheathed his swords,”My name is Zuko, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai; Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne.”

The crowd around them filled with hushed whispers and chatter before an old man shouted,”Liar! I heard of you. You're not a prince, you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him.”

Masako gripped Zuko’s forearm as he stepped closer to Lee who was now being untied by his mother. Sela stepped in front of Lee protectively and glared at them,”Not a step closer.”

Zuko kneeled down and offered the dagger from before to Lee again who was now peeking out from behind his mother,”It’s yours. You should have it.”

“No, I hate you!”, Lee yelled before walking off with his mother. 

Masako frowned deeply and stood behind Zuko, rubbing his shoulders gently as he hung his head. She whispered gently,”It’s not your fault, Zuko.”

He slowly stood up and shoved the dagger in his pocket. He rested his hand on the small of her back and began walking towards their ostrich horse, urging her forward,”Let’s just get out of here.”


	17. Chapter 17

_ Masako smiled brightly as the fire danced off of her hands and fingertips. She felt the fire leaping and turning within her. Her eyes widened as she heard her mother screaming.  _

_ She hurried towards her mother, whom’s arms had been burned. Her mother had tears streaming down her face as she swatted in her direction,”Get away from me! Don’t touch me!” _

_ “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!”, her tears lined her eyes as she looked at her mom,”I just want to help…” _

_ She looked over as her father ran out of their small house,”What is going on here?” _

_ He turned on his child with fury filling up his eyes. He gripped onto her upper arms as he looked at her, seething with rage now,”What did you do to your mother?!” _

_ “I-It was an accident! I d-didn’t mean to!”, Masako sobbed.  _

_ “You’re a monster!”, he snarled, shoving her to the ground before hurrying over to his wife,”I don’t even want to  _ **_look_ ** _ at you, Masako!” _

_ “I’m sorry!” _

  
  


{ * }

  
  


The words still rung like bells, clear in her head. As a child, she didn’t see how her parents could see that she had done something like this on purpose. After all, she had only just turned eight years old, and the concept of firebending was still rather elementary to her. 

But to her parents, it didn’t matter. Though they were Fire Nation natives, they despised how firebenders practically breathed hate into the world. It was ironic, Masako thought, considering how much hate they showed her. 

She looked up at the small Fire Nation home, the house that she grew up in. A lot happened since she and Zuko were in that Earth Kingdom village, and it all brought her to where she was now: her parents’ house. She swallowed thickly and hesitantly knocked on the door before taking a step back. 

The door opened to a man with dark, long hair and golden eyes. He was still so much taller than her, something that used to scare her as a child. 

“Masako.”, he grunted as he looked her over,”Come in.”

He stepped aside and held the door open, allowing her to step inside. The low-lying table in the center of the room with blood red pillows all around it wasn’t any more inviting to her than her father was, so she didn’t sit down. 

“Who is it, dear?”, she heard her mother call from the other room. 

Her mother joined them in the room, her smile quickly falling and making her amber eyes seem so cold. Her long, dark brown hair was half pulled back while the other half fell freely down to her lower back. 

“What brings you here?”

Masako leaned against the kitchen counters, crossing her arms almost as if to give herself some sort of protection from them,”This is my home, isn’t it?”

Her father knitted his eyebrows together,”Come to burn it down?”

“I’d like to talk, actually.”, she said as she squared her shoulders back,”About where I’ve been, and what I’ve done. I’d like to have a good relationship with my parents.”

Her eyes flicked down to her mother’s forearms that had burn marks on them. She felt a pang of guilt deep in her chest, knowing that she was the cause of those scars. 

Her mother cleared her throat, gesturing to the table with the pillows around it,”Of course. Sit down, why don’t I get us some tea?”

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Her father set down his tea cup after listening to her quickly recap everything that had happened to her over the years since she’s been gone,”Did you burn down that beach house?”

“No, we just trashed it a bit, knocked over some vases and ripped the tapestry.”, she looked down into her coffee cup,”It wasn’t one of my proudest moments, but I think the guy deserved it.”

Her mother tilted her head as she leaned forward,”You have feelings for him don’t you?”

“What?”, Masako suddenly snapped her head up to look at her mother. 

“Prince Zuko, you have feelings for him. Why else would you follow him across the ocean and all over the world? And why else would you betray that man - General Iroh - if you didn’t bear some sort of feelings for the boy?”

Masako flushed and suddenly felt like the collar to her shirt was too tight,”I-I...Yes, I do.”

“Well you certainly don’t think you have any sort of chance with him, do you?”, her father laughed. 

Though she herself had thought the same thing over the past couple months, it stung to hear her own father say it,”I might!”

He laughed louder and shook his head,”You poor child!”

Her mother hummed thoughtfully,”Though marrying the Crown Prince would certainly raise your status, and ours for that matter.”

Masako stood up, balling her hands up into fists,”Who I marry is none of your business! And it certainly won’t be a means to you clawing your way to wealth!”

“Watch your tongue! You will not speak to your parents that way!”, her father snapped, all humor now absent from his voice. 

She shook her head, taking a deep breath to make sure that when she spoke that she had a level head,”I thought I could come back to the Fire Nation and have my parents welcome me home. I left when I was only thirteen, and you didn’t even care. Your own child left and fought alongside Generals, Admirals, and the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, and you can’t even acknowledge it.”

Her mother stood up and glared daggers into her,”Young lady-“

Masako nodded, laughing softly,”That's right, I am a young lady. I’m seventeen years old, and you - my own parents - didn’t even get to see me grow up.”

“That was your fault.”, her mother snapped. 

“I was just a  _ child _ !”, Masako cried out,”I didn’t know any better! What was your excuse?!”

Her father stood up, towering over her,”You got what you deserved!”

“How? Because I was born a firebender? Because I was a child who made a mistake?”, she shook her head as her face twisted up in disgust,”I’m proud of who I am. You may not be, but that doesn’t matter because you didn’t even raise me. I had to do it all on my own. I had to learn how to take care of myself, and I had to learn how to fight for myself just to survive. But I guess I should thank you for that, considering how much stronger I became because of your neglect and hatred for me.”

Her father kicked the table out of the way and raised his arm as if to hit her. Masako gripped his wrist tightly as his hand came down, burning him. He screamed out in pain, his knees buckling before giving out beneath him. She let go of his wrist and looked down at him,”I hope you can find peace with what you’ve done to me. I know now that I have.”

Her mother looked on at her in horror, but when Masako looked over at her she kept her mouth shut. It was strange how the very thing that had trapped her for most of her life is what had set her free. She wondered for so long what it would be like to be normal, or to even be a waterbender so that she could heal instead of destroy. But she wouldn’t wonder about that anymore. 

Masako walked out of the house without another word and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw a figure standing in front of her as she shut the door,”Zuko! You scared me to death!”

“I thought I’d find you here.”

She shrugged and looked down at her feet,”Yea, I had a couple of loose ends to tie up.”

Zuko hesitantly reached out before wrapping his arms around her, whispering softly,”I’m so sorry.”

She slowly let go of him and smiled weakly,”It’s for the best.”

“Then could I ask you to come help me tie up a loose end of my own?”

“I’d follow you anywhere, Zuko.”


	18. Chapter 18

Masako glanced over to see Zuko in a deep red cloak, yellow accents around the bottom of it and at the sleeves. He had the hood pulled up over his head and the shadows from it helped to conceal his face. 

“So uh…”, Zuko cleared his throat,”Wanna talk about what happened back there?”

Masako ground her teeth together,”Not really, no.”

He glanced over at her, giving her a quizzical look,”I don’t-“

“My parents are as horrible as I remember, I have no place to go, and when I needed my best friend the most he was off with his  _ girlfriend _ .”, she snapped. 

She almost immediately apologized, knowing that what happened between her and her parents wasn’t his fault. But then she remembered that he was the reason she chose to leave the palace in the first place. She couldn’t stand to see him around Mai any more. She didn’t have it in her to help him pack another picnic for the two of them. Azula rubbing it in her face constantly didn’t help either, but she certainly wasn’t the driving force behind the void in her chest, Zuko was. 

Zuko stopped and looked at her, thankful that she stopped to listen,”I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you. I would never…”

He shook his head and groaned,”I wouldn’t ever purposely make you handle something on your own when you need me. I...I hope that you know that.”

“I don’t know anymore.”, she shrugged and looked away,”I just don’t understand it.”

“Understand what?”

“How you could go after Mai when I’m right in front of you.”, she whispered, hating that tears were forming in her eyes,”I’ve  _ always _ been here, and you still didn’t notice me.”

He reached out for her, but she backed away, shaking her head,”Masako, I-“

“It would be easier to swallow if it was...if it was Ty Lee. She’s so beautiful and likable and bubbly.”

Zuko swallowed what felt like glass as he looked down at her. It hurt him to see the pain in her eyes, and to see that he was the one that had caused it was like some cruel joke that Azula would orchestrate. 

Masako hugged herself and mumbled,”I don’t wanna talk about this anymore. Can we just…”

She took a deep breath and sniffled, gesturing down the street as if to finish her sentence,”We’ve got things to do, right?”

Zuko frowned deeply as he watched her begin to walk away, following her after a few moments more. When did everything in life become so twisted and confusing?

  
  


{ * }

  
  


Zuko gripped onto the rope of the war balloon, the wind whipping in his hair as he watched on, seeing Aang and his friends fly away on Appa. Masako punched fire into the furnace of the war balloon before closing it up and crossing her arms,”I’m proud of you, ya know.”

“For what?”

“Standing up to your father finally and making the right decisions.”

Zuko turned around and looked over at her,”I’ve done a lot of things wrong, especially to you.”

She shrugged and looked up at him,”What I said earlier was said out of anger and jealousy…”

“But it was true, wasn’t it?”

Masako looked down at her feet, sighing softly,”I’ll get over it, Zuko, it’s fine. Besides, we’ve got to work on getting on the Avatar’s side and you being his firebending teacher. Instead of focusing on my feelings, we should focus on that.”

Zuko frowned deeply, resting a hand on her upper arm,”I don’t want to do that to you. I don’t want to hurt you anymore. I don’t want to hurt anyone…”

“I know.”, is all she said as she looked forward, watching the Avatar.

She hated that she’d let her feelings erupt from within her and that she made Zuko feel so guilty about things. It wasn’t his fault that he wanted Mai and not her. At least, that’s what she had decided that she was going to tell herself. 

All that mattered now was helping the Avatar take down Fire Lord Ozai. She would have to file away her feelings for Zuko to fish out and solve some other day. 


End file.
